In short
Whether singing makes people happy, with emphasis on group/choral singing benefits (endorphins, confidence, reduced anxiety/depression, aerobic effects, deep breathing, cognitive engagement, and belonging).
Guests
No guests are interviewed; hosts are Josh, Chuck, and Jerry/Dave mentioned “in spirit.”
Key claims
Singing releases endorphins; karaoke still boosts confidence; choir singing has “most dramatic effects” due to group belonging and reliance. Notable examples/studies: Australia 2008 study of choral singers reporting higher life satisfaction than general public even after controlling differences; 1998 nursing home singing program reduced anxiety and depression; England study of 600 British choral singers linking singing to psychological health; singing described as aerobic/oxygen-improving and used in lung rehab; personal examples include singing along to Billy Joel during political stress and hearing young choirs sing Radiohead in Madison.
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOThe Benefits of Singing
1:12 to 2:26
Discussion about the joys of community singing and personal experiences.
“Yeah, I'm going to start this one by telling a quick little story of last year.”
Singing Statistics in the U.S.
2:26 to 3:33
Insights into the popularity of choral singing and related statistics.
“So are you going to do it, though, you think?”
The Joy of Karaoke and Singing
3:33 to 4:50
Exploration of why people enjoy singing, even when they're not good at it.
“You know, interestingly, I saw a study the other day where they found one participatory activity helps stave off dementia more than any other.”
Group Singing vs. Solo Singing
4:50 to 5:32
Discussion of the benefits of singing alone versus in a group setting.
“I mean, like you can sing at home in the shower.”
Group Singing vs. Solo Singing
6:57 to 7:57
Discussion of the benefits of singing alone versus in a group setting.
“LinkedIn can help you grow your career, helping you confidently navigate your path with insights, ideas, and inspiration from your professional community.”
Health Benefits of Singing
8:05 to 11:44
Exploring how singing impacts well-being and physical health.
“So like you mentioned before the break, all types of singing is good for you, we found.”
The Social Aspect of Singing
11:44 to 13:18
Discussion on how being part of a choir fosters a sense of belonging.
“No, like I was singing whatever, whatever you could really belt out, you know.”
Personal Experiences and Memories
13:18 to 14:04
Sharing a memorable moment from a choral festival that highlights the joy of singing.
“Yeah, it's amazing when we were I think I told you this backstage, but when we were in Madison, I went a day early and I woke up the next morning and I was my hotel was like kind of right on the water.”
A Lovely Morning Memory
14:04 to 14:23
The hosts reminisce about a beautiful moment experienced in Madison.
“And it was the most lovely thing I had ever heard.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Josh Clark:This is an iHeart Podcast. Guaranteed human. Geico presents a 30-second podcast between your podcast. Today's story is shared by one of our listeners. It's called Betrayed by Bill. It was in that moment I caught who was staring back at me in betrayal. Or more like what? My insurance bill. With trembling hands, I grabbed my phone and switched to Geico, saving about$900 in the process and never to be betrayed again. Now that was bloody riveting. It feels good when the story ends with savings. It feels good to Geico.
0:34Chuck Bryant:With no fees or minimums on checking accounts, it's no wonder the Capital One bank guy is so passionate about banking with Capital One. If he were here, he wouldn't just tell you about no fees or minimums. He'd also tell you about how Capital One cafes are open seven days a week to assist with your banking needs. Yep, even on weekends. It's pretty much all he talks about. In a good way. What's in your wallet? Terms apply. See CapitalOne.com slash Bank Guy. Capital One N-A, member FDIC.
1:06Chuck Bryant:Hey, welcome to The Short Stuff. Josh here, Chuck here, Jerry here, Dave here in spirit. It's short stuff. Sorry, it's short stuff.
1:16Josh Clark:Yeah, I'm going to start this one by telling a quick little story of last year. I got in my Instagram feed for a little while these choirs, these choral singing groups that were, you know, it's kind of a thing now where it's not like, oh, you know, we go to the church and it's an official choir. But like, hey, my friend has a warehouse space and we can put a piano in it and just put out a call to see if people want to show up and sing together.
1:45Chuck Bryant:Like humanist choirs?
1:47Josh Clark:Is that what it's called?
1:48Chuck Bryant:That's what I'm calling it.
1:49Josh Clark:Oh, OK. Yeah. Oh, just because, yeah, humanist episode. I got you. Yeah, exactly that. And, you know, they're doing like a cool Radiohead song or something like that, like or whatever, you know, Christmas music around the holidays. And I was like, you know what, man, I sang in a choir growing up in my church and Emily and I both sang. She sang in show choir and like we both got a lot out of those experiences. And I haven't done it since I was a teenager. And I was like, man, we got a piano. And I bet you we could get a group together to come around and do this kind of thing. And I was I still might do it this year, but I I never got around to it.
2:25Josh Clark:But it was something that was really kind of on my my list.
2:28Chuck Bryant:So are you going to do it, though, you think?
2:30Josh Clark:Well, I really want to do it. OK, we'll do it. Yeah, I do want to because I think, you know, I would be the facilitator, but I would get someone who's like somebody's got to lead the show because I can't do that. But I'll sing and I'll put, you know, I'll provide the space and the piano.
2:46Chuck Bryant:OK, there you go. I think that's a good start.
2:49Josh Clark:I think it would be fun, like a neighborhood deal. And a long way of sort of getting around to this idea that they've kind of learned that singing is good for you and specifically singing together like in a choir.
3:01Chuck Bryant:Right. Yeah, that's a big a big thing. And Chuck, if you did get a choral group together, you guys would be the 250 ,000 and first chorus group in the United States because that's how many are in there.
3:13Josh Clark:Yeah.
3:14Chuck Bryant:Something like almost 29 million people regularly sing in a choral group in the United States. And it's the most popular of all arts related participatory activities. Yeah. It's more popular than cross country painting and charades leagues combined.
3:33Josh Clark:You know, interestingly, I saw a study the other day where they found one participatory activity helps stave off dementia more than any other. And it was dance.
3:45Chuck Bryant:Oh, I believe that.
3:46Josh Clark:Yeah, because the movement and all the benefits of doing a participatory activity, plus the benefits of the exercise and everything. But it was something about dance that and it was like kind of off the charts and like how good it was for you to do as like as you age.
4:02Chuck Bryant:Sure. Get your troubles. Come on, get happy. All right.
4:06Josh Clark:So let's talk about singing, though, because like if you get together with the choir, obviously everyone there is probably going because they like to sing and they're probably pretty good at singing. but you can just go to your local karaoke bar as evidence that like people love to sing who can't sing at all sometimes and they will do that in front of people and people will like still watch
4:26Chuck Bryant:that and be interested for sure yeah people will watch other people who can't sing sing yeah and then people who can't sing will sing in front of other people and feel good about it like karaoke Yoki is a great example of like the fact that this exists. There's something about singing, including singing in front of other people that actually does give you a positive vibe.
4:50Josh Clark:Yes.
4:50Chuck Bryant:So you said something, though. I mean, like you can sing at home in the shower. You can sing at home on the couch. You can sing at home in the kitchen.
5:00Josh Clark:Sing in the car, for sure.
5:01Chuck Bryant:Sing in the car. You could sing in the laundry room. Right. Like you could sing basically anywhere by yourself. And yes, there are benefits, as we'll see. But because there's something about singing in a group, as we'll kind of unpack, it's just it provides greater benefits. But if you do sing in your laundry room, you're still going to get some benefits from it. But if you've got a group of people to sing with you in your laundry room, you would be doing really good.
5:29Josh Clark:For sure. Good time for a break? Yeah. All right. We're going to talk about what those benefits are because they seem kind of mysterious right after this.
5:36Chuck Bryant:If you want to know, then you're in luck. Just listen up to Josh and Chuck. Stuff you should know.
5:51Josh Clark:Hey, everybody. Here's a fact for you. In the United States, there is a break-in every 26 seconds. And that means that somewhere right now, an intruder is getting closer. And the problem with most security systems is that they only alert you after the break-in has started. And that's too late.
6:05Chuck Bryant:Well, that's what makes SimpliSafe different. They use alerts. SimpliSafe's U.S.-based live agents, they identify threats on your property and help deter them before they actually break in. So the intruder never gets into your house. The crime is stopped before it even starts.
6:21Josh Clark:That's right. And another great thing about SimpliSafe is they have no long-term contracts. They give you peace of mind and great value with their monitoring deterrence plans because they just start at about a dollar a day.
6:31Chuck Bryant:Yeah. SimpliSafe sent us a setup years back and I still use mine every day.
6:35Josh Clark:Yeah, and apparently set up, you can like do it by yourself in under 30 minutes. So it's a really good value and it doesn't take long.
6:40Chuck Bryant:So if you want to experience the SimpliSafe peace of mind, you can take advantage of the SimpliSafe discount offered to Stuff You Should Know listeners. Right now, you can get 50 % off your new system by visiting simplisafe.com slash stuff. That's half off at simplisafe.com slash stuff. There's no safe like SimpliSafe.
7:04Josh Clark:work can be a little weird one minute you're in a meeting that could have been an email the next you're trying to decode corporate jargon that somehow means nothing and don't even get us started on the quick sync that turns into a 45 minute deep dive yeah well the truth is figuring
7:20Chuck Bryant:out your career isn't always straightforward whether you're trying to grow pivot or just stay relevant, it can feel like you're navigating it all on your own. Well, that's where LinkedIn comes in.
7:30Josh Clark:That's right. LinkedIn can help you grow your career, helping you confidently navigate your path with insights, ideas, and inspiration from your professional community. You can stay up to date with the latest trends in your field, connect with people who get it, and discover opportunities tailored to your goals, your experience, and what actually matters to you.
7:46Chuck Bryant:Whether you're looking for something new or just trying to grow where you are, LinkedIn gives you the tools and connections to move forward with confidence. Because LinkedIn is the network that works for you. Visit linkedin.com slash know stuff to learn more.
8:04Chuck Bryant:Stuff you should know. Stuff you should know. All right.
8:19Josh Clark:So like you mentioned before the break, all types of singing is good for you, we found. It releases endorphins, which is always great. If you're singing in front of people, it's going to, you know, build your confidence. Like I've seen some not very good singers at karaoke just like still kind of kill it and walk out of there like clearly like kind of brimming with confidence. Sure. Which is going to have like a great effect on your life and well-being. For sure.
Read the full transcript
8:45Chuck Bryant:But like I said, singing with a group, choral singing, has the most dramatic effects. And there's actually some studies that have shown this. Apparently, in Australia in 2008, a study looked at choral singers and said, hey, how satisfied are you with your life? And they said, really satisfied, so satisfied that if you compared us to the average person from the general public, we're more satisfied with our life. They're like, well, wait a minute. What if we control for all these differences? And the only difference is these people sing and the rest of the people don't. Will that still hold true?
9:18Chuck Bryant:Yes, it will.
9:20Josh Clark:That's right. It's Australia. They said yes and not narrow.
9:26Chuck Bryant:And I mean, Australians are generally happy on a whole compared to other groups.
9:31Josh Clark:No, I totally agree.
9:32Chuck Bryant:So like Australian choral singers, through the roof happy. They can't stop smiling.
9:38Josh Clark:Yeah. In fact, I'm going to start saying that. I'm going to say, man, they were as happy as an Australian choral singer.
9:42Chuck Bryant:That's a great one. That's great.
9:45Josh Clark:In 1998, there was another study that found after nursing home residents were, you know, active in a singing program for a month, there were big time decreases in both anxiety and depression levels. And a study in England, 600 British choral singers found that singing plays a central role in their psychological health. Like people get a lot out of it.
10:08Chuck Bryant:Right. And that would have included Ireland and Wales. That's right.
10:14Josh Clark:Actually, I didn't look too deeply into that one. But yeah, if it said British, then for sure.
10:18Chuck Bryant:Sure. So some of the physical effects, though, it actually does. We've been talking mostly about well-being. We'll talk a little more about that. But physically speaking, singing has a great effect on your body. It's essentially an aerobic exercise because of the way you're breathing.
10:34Josh Clark:Yeah.
10:35Chuck Bryant:You're getting more oxygen in your blood. That improves your circulation. Good circulation makes you happy. I've seen that it's prescribed, singing is prescribed to people who are going through lung rehab for some sort of lung issue. And there's also like you need to breathe deeply. So you're spending like an hour or so, like a week breathing deeply. that's essentially one of the main parts of meditation and relaxation techniques is deep, you know, controlled breathing and singing in a choir requires you to do that.
11:11Josh Clark:Yeah, for sure. I remember talking. Oh, when was it? I guess it was sometime late last year when or I guess early last year when I was very upset a lot about politics, not like I am now, which is like just super stoked all the time.
11:27Chuck Bryant:Right.
11:27Josh Clark:But I remember talking about sing therapy and that's what I did for a little while. I would like put on my piano as a little player piano. So I would put that on and I would sing as hard as I could sing. And it really, really felt good. It made a big difference in how I felt.
11:43Chuck Bryant:What were you singing?
11:45Josh Clark:Whatever. A lot of Billy Joel.
11:46Chuck Bryant:Oh, that's great.
11:47Josh Clark:No, like I was singing whatever, whatever you could really belt out, you know.
11:52Chuck Bryant:Okay. I think that's, that's wonderful that you did that for yourself, man.
11:55Josh Clark:Yeah, it was fun.
11:56Chuck Bryant:So one of the things that you could have also done, since you probably know every word to every Billy Joel song, you could have learned some new songs, right? Sure. And had you done that, you would have been working your brain, which is another benefit of singing, especially in a group. You have to learn new stuff every week. Yeah, for sure. And if you're learning things and if you're concentrating like, all right, I got to work out my alto part on this thing.
12:21Josh Clark:I'm a tenor, actually. Work on your tenor part. And then when you get together with your little choir or big choir and you're like, all right, I got to remember my part here where I come in. Like, that's what you're thinking of. That's what's on your mind. You're not thinking of the stress at work or the stress at home or the stress in your life or your health stress. Like it's your chance to park that stuff and really dwell on something else for a while.
12:45Chuck Bryant:Right. Right. And then we finally arrive at one of the big reasons why, probably the biggest reason why singing in a choir actually has the most benefits of any kind of singing is because you are becoming part of a group. Yes. Like if you've ever been a member of any kind of choir, like that's a fairly tight group. Everybody knows one another. You're required to rely on one another. Like you are needed by this group. Your voice is needed. Your part is needed. like there's a sense of belonging and inclusion that comes from being a member of a choir. And then on top of that, adding in all of the benefits of singing again, like this is it's just really good for you.
13:25Josh Clark:Yeah, it's amazing when we were I think I told you this backstage, but when we were in Madison, I went a day early and I woke up the next morning and I was my hotel was like kind of right on the water. So I had the windows open because I could hear the water gently lapping, and it sounded really nice. But I heard singing, and I was like group singing. And I was like, where is that coming from? And I went and looked out of my window, and it turns out that in the hotel there was a choral festival going on. So there were a bunch of choirs standing there, and there was a group of young people, like probably 20 of them on a dock, on a pier, singing a Radiohead song.
14:04Josh Clark:And it was the most lovely thing I had ever heard. You can't imagine a better way to sort of start your morning than just by hearing that.
14:11Chuck Bryant:In reality, though, backstage, everybody, he told me that he shouted, pipe down and slammed his window.
14:16Josh Clark:Shut up, kids. That's cool, man. It was great. It was so, so lovely.
14:22Chuck Bryant:Right. Well, I think since we ended that on a high note from one of Chuck's good memories, good recent memories from our visit to Madison, it means short stuff is out.
14:34Josh Clark:Stuff You Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
From the publisher
Does singing make you happy? Yes, yes it does.
See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
