Between the Notes

The Neuroscience of Singing

Whether or not we consider ourselves “singers”, the act of singing has some startling benefits. To begin with, it encourages the same relaxation response (our rest-and-digest, or parasympathetic nervous system response) as deep breathing through its stimulation of the vagus nerve. Singing is primarily a right-brain activity (meaning it’s associated with creativity, imagination, intuition, spirituality and big-picture thinking), but it incorporates language, which is mostly under the jurisdiction of the brain’s left hemisphere. This means that in those who’ve suffered damage to the left side of the brain, singing can provide a way to access language. People with a stutter or Tourette’s syndrome frequently find that they are able to sing.

When people come together to sing, something extra special happens. Group singing has been linked to reduced stress, improved mood and a stronger immune system – not to mention increased feelings of social inclusion and community engagement. “When we sing with others there is something really magical as we crescendo and sing in harmony together. Not only do we breathe together, but studies show that our hearts start to beat together,” writes soprano Tania de Jong.

Ma Rainey

A hundred years before Cardi B released her chart-topping 2020 song “WAP”, American blues pioneer Ma Rainey was singing about female and queer sexuality and championing Black women’s autonomy. Born Gertrude Pridgett in 1886 and nicknamed “Mother of the Blues”, Rainey is sometimes credited as naming the blues genre. She managed to balance performing in vaudeville shows, was partly inspired in her writing by Ma Rainey and her close friend Bessie Smith.