Singing a choir can have a positive effect on the mental activity of older people

Along with the effects of lifestyle, including physical exercise and diet, on age, research has turned more attention to the potential intellectual benefits of music recreation. However, such research has largely focused on hobbies involving musical instruments.

The cognitive benefits of playing an instrument are already well known: such an activity can improve cognitive flexibility, or the ability to control focus and switch between different thought processes. However, the intellectual benefits of choral singing have not been much explored.

Now, a study recently published in the PLOS AON magazine provides evidence based on what choir singing may have similar benefits to playing an instrument.

The results show that older singers had better verbal flexibility than those in the control group, who did not have choir singing as a pastime. Oral flexibility reflects superior mental flexibility.

“This supports previous decisions on the effect of playing an instrument on the mental activity of older people and provides some indications that choral singing may also have beneficial effects. These decisions increase our understanding of how different activities can shape experiences later in life. , too, “said doctoral student Emmi Pentikäinen.

Those with a longer history of singing in a choir get a greater sense of unity

The study also looked at the potential benefits of choral singing for the emotional and social wellbeing of older people. Questionnaires used in the study showed that those who had sung in a choir for a longer period of time, more than 10 years, felt more social together than those with less or no experience of choir singing.

In addition, study subjects who started singing a choir less than 10 years ago were happier with their overall health than those with longer singing experience and those who did not sing in a choir.

“It is possible that those who have joined a choir later in life have been inspired to maintain their health by maintaining an active and healthy lifestyle. Then again, the relationships and social networks provided by being in a choir among those who may have taken longer to be established as an essential part of their lives, and thus emerge as a greater sense of social unity, ”Pentikäinen estimates.

Choir singing requires multifunctional information processing

Aging brings changes to the mental activity as well as the physical and social environment of individuals, all of which affect their well-being.

As the population ages, it is becoming increasingly important to identify ways to improve the wellbeing and quality of life of older adults.

According to Pentikäinen, choir singing provides a good opportunity to support the well-being of the elderly, as flexible action and mindfulness management are required.

“Choir singing is easy to do in practice, at little cost. It is an activity that requires multi-functional information processing, as it combines diverse sensory stimulation processing, co-operative motor function. related to the production and control of voice, linguistic production, learning and remembering melodies and words, as well as emotions aroused by the pieces sung, “she notes.

The coronavirus pandemic has also shown the importance of music and singing to human life.

“People have been singing together on balconies and from open windows to lift their spirits.”

The study was part of a long-term study with a focus on the long-term effects of choral singing on psychology as well as emotional and social well-being. It was done with the help of the first database of the longitudinal study. The study data were collected in autumn 2017 with a questionnaire and with the help of neuropsychological tests.

106 choir singers and 56 control subjects participated in the questionnaire survey, all of whom were at least 60 years old. The questionnaires measured awareness, emotion, social interaction, quality of life and the role of music in everyday subject life. Of all the subjects, a smaller subgroup participated in a neuropsychological study in which different areas of mental activity were examined.