Disclaimer: Kevin’s views are not necessarily those of EB Media.

Research shows that just about any type of singing, professional or otherwise, can make people happier, more trusting, and less anxious.

Yeah. Think about it! If you sing with your friends or some random strangers, you feel better afterwards, like you feel complete in a way but yet you want more. You see that it’s the one thing you all have in common and are expressing it together. As humans, we all normally want to belong. To a group, a clique, a family, ANYTHING. It’s in our nature. Which is to say: Singing makes people better friends.Singing can be as beneficial as yoga, according to Björn Vickhoff, a researcher at Sweden’s University of Gothenberg who observed the heartbeats of 15 teenagers as they sang in unison. The regulated, controlled breathing that occurs while singing is similar to yoga breathing, he said. “It helps you relax, and there are indications it does provide a heart benefit.” That’s largely because singing releases endorphins, “the brain’s naturally occurring opiates,” which are also released during exercise and can make people feel euphoric. So basically our brains create our own drugs. Well. Researchers in the U.K. have also found that active performance of music — expressive, uninterrupted singing while clapping or dancing, for example — can increase a person’s tolerance for pain, suggesting that endorphins were being released in large quantities. That’s why I try to help people exercising by playing “Eye of the Tiger” near them.And it doesn’t even matter if singers sound good — even bad singers still reap the same rewards. Researchers at the University of Sheffield observed that group singing, even if the people involved are amateur singers at best, still led to “considerable emotional, social and cognitive benefits” and was therapeutic to participants.Here’s a truth: Everyone can sing. It’s just others can handle the change to a higher or lower pitch. That’s the hard part. Once you master that, you can sing all your favorite songs. But after reading this, sing with your buddies, your family, or maybe that random stranger hanging out in front of the bar every night. OK, maybe not him.

About the Author: Kevin is a beginning musician for 4 years, capable of playing guitar, bass, piano, and drums. As a person who listens to everything, he loves to write about anything music-related. He also enjoys expressing his views about life through his music.