Summary of research: Social-Emotional Benefits

Kathleen M. Howland, Ph.D.

Music study group for Northborough-Southborough school district

Oxytocin is the drug that floods a new mother following the birth of her child. It is this hormone that binds us one to another and thus is often called the ‘cuddle hormone.’ It establishes and reinforces our bonding with another. It is an outcome of singing together as well.

In a large scale study in England (6,087 participants), school children were assessed for their singing abilities and sense of social inclusion across three years. The author’s analysis concluded that “the higher the normalized singing development rating, the more positive the child’s self-concept and sense of being socially included, irrespective of singer age, sex and ethnicity” (Welch, et al., 2014).

A state of bonding is also notable for its anti-stress properties. In the time of the COVID-19 pandemic, it was often stated that ‘we are all in this together.’ In a 2020 pre-COVID report by the National Academies Science, Engineering and Medicine, they described conditions of social isolation as a “serious yet under appreciated public health risk.” Here are key data points from their extensive report:

Approximately 24% of Americans aged 65 and older are considered to be socially isolated (now with COVID, those numbers are extremely high);
Social isolation has been associated with a significantly increased risk of premature mortality from all causes;
Social isolation has been associated with an approximately 50 percent increased risk of developing dementia;
Loneliness among heart failure patients has been associated with nearly four times the risk of death, 68 percent face increased risk of hospitalization, and 57 percent face increased risk of emergency department visits; and
Poor social relationships (characterized by social isolation or loneliness) have been associated with a 29 percent increased risk of incident coronary heart disease and a 32 percent increased risk of stroke.

In K-12 education, music casts a very wide and inclusive net. People with learning disabilities, attention deficits and social deficits all have a place in a choir, band and orchestra. And just the act of singing together can advance a sense of belonging which is crucial given the research related to social isolation and media use, incidences of anxiety and depression in school age children as well as self-harm and suicide.

Bibliography

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. 2020. Social Isolation and Loneliness in Older Adults: Opportunities for the Health Care Pearce, E., Launay, J. and Dunbar, R.I. M. (2015T). he ice-breaker effect: singing mediates fast social bondingRoyal Society Open Science 2150221

http://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.150221

System. Washington, DC: The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/25663.

Seltzer, L.J., Ziegler, T.E. & Pollak, S.D. (2010). Social vocalizations can release oxytocin in humans. Proceedings of the Royal Society B, 277, 2661-2666

Tarr, B., Launay, J. & Dunbar, R.I.M. (2014). Music and social bonding: “self-other” merging and neurohormonal mechanisms. Frontiers in Psychology, 5, 1096

Welch, G.F., Himonides, E., Sanders, J., Papageorgi, L., & Sarazin, M. (2014). Singing and social inclusion. Frontiers in Psychology, 5(803)