Sing for your health.Scientists have researched the effects of group singing--whether in a barbershop quartet barbershop quartet Popular vocal ensemble consisting of four unaccompanied male voices. The voice parts are tenor, lead, baritone, and bass, with the lead normally singing the melody and the tenor harmonizing above. , a cappela group, gospel choir, or community chorus-and the results show benefits for mood, stress levels, and the immune system immune system Cells, cell products, organs, and structures of the body involved in the detection and destruction of foreign invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, and cancer cells. Immunity is based on the system's ability to launch a defense against such invaders. . Singing requires deep, controlled breathing similar to deep breathing exercises and promotes the stress-relieving "relaxation response relaxation response, n the physiologic counterbalance to the fight-or-flight response, in which a deep state of mental and physiological rest may be elicited. " Professor Robert Putnam Robert David Putnam (born 1941 in Rochester, New York) is a political scientist and professor at Harvard University. Putnam developed the influential two-level game theory that assumes international agreements will only be successfully brokered if they also result in domestic , Harvard Kennedy School of Government, identifies group song as a form of civic engagement that could lead to other kinds of involvement such as volunteer work. He includes singing in a choir on his list of ways to build social networks and trust between individuals. Both make people happier and probably healthier. Harvard Health Letter |
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