Group Singing vs. Individual Singing in Healthy Aging: Changes in Mood, Oxytocin, and Cortisol

RESEARCH TEAM

Arla Good, PhD  Frank A. Russo, PhD | Toronto Metropolitan University

BACKGROUND

Research on group singing has demonstrated numerous benefits to wellbeing including boosts in mood, increases in social bonding, and reductions in stress. These benefits can be achieved by individuals with Parkinson’s disease (PD), a group that is especially at risk for social isolation given the typical decline in mobility and communication that accompanies neuromotor degeneration. Several mechanisms of action have been proposed to explain the benefits to wellbeing, with one prominent hypothesis emphasizing that interpersonal movement synchrony enhances feelings of social bonding. In the current study, we explore this hypothesis by comparing group singing to yoga, another popular activity among people living with PD that confers a temporary boost in wellbeing. Critically, yoga tends to have a very low level of interpersonal movement synchrony.

METHODS

Twenty individuals living with PD were recruited from pre-existing community programs: ten from a weekly choir, and ten from a weekly yoga class. We compared these activities through a biopsychosocial lens, including measurements of mood, social bonding, cortisol, and oxytocin before and after the group activity.

RESULTS

The results revealed that while both activities enhanced mood and decreased cortisol, group singing was associated with greater overall social bonding and significant increases in oxytocin. These findings highlight the potential of group singing to foster social bonds, indicating interpersonal movement synchrony and the release of oxytocin as possible mechanisms driving this effect. 

KNOWLEDGE DISSEMINATION

Publication

Good, A.,Pachete, A., Gilmore, S., Frank, F. A. Comparing the biopsychosocial impact of group singing and yoga activities in older adults living with Parkinson’s Disease. Manuscript under review.

Conference:

Good, A., Copelli, F., Pachete, A., & Russo, F. A. (2021, June). Group singing, but not group yoga, fosters social connectedness and increases oxytocin in older adults living with Parkinson’s Disease. Poster presented at Neurosciences and Music VII. Aarhus, Denmark. Virtual.

search previous next tag category expand menu location phone mail time cart zoom edit close