The Physiological Benefits of Singing

By Will Gerber

The National Institute of Health released a synopsis of studies that show possible health benefits in singing.  Disorders with potential to be treated through singing include stuttering, aphasia, autism, and Parkinson’s disease. Mostly, singing helps to alleviate the symptoms of these disorders by establishing strong neural connections between auditory and sensorimotor areas in the brain. In addition, the breathing control involved in singing is linked to positive cardio-physiological fitness. While singing won’t be able to cure anyone’s illness by itself, studies show that it can be a promising therapeutic strategy.

 This article fascinated me because I never really thought about speaking and singing as different functions. I am happy to realize that researchers are looking into these kind of new, out-of-the-box ideas.