Singing with colleagues reduces stress at work

Are you feeling a bit down at work? Can you not see that laptop for a moment? Definitely plan a karaoke night with your colleagues. Or blast a good song on your laptop and sing together at your desk.

Because singing with your colleagues would be good against stress, worries, and overthinking at work. So sing together. Or sing solo in a karaoke bar.

It has been officially proven by scientists. For the research, the results of which were presented at a meeting of The British Psychological Society, psychologists followed 58 people at various companies who sang with colleagues at their workplace. They also had to indicate via a questionnaire what their work tasks were and whether they experienced stress from them. You guessed it: those who occasionally sang a song together felt better supported at work and had more fun in their job.

‘Participants felt less stressed about their work and felt socially better connected with colleagues after singing together,’ said one of the researchers. ‘They derived even more support from the choir than from other forms of social interaction at work.’ Ultimately, the scientists found that work-related stress decreased by as much as 96 percent. And that wasn't all: people simply felt more seen, heard, and less alone. Loneliness is perhaps the most difficult feeling for many people and is bad for someone's health and feeling that you belong to that group of colleagues makes you happier. Not just at work, but also in your personal life.

Researchers therefore especially recommend letting colleagues sing along to catchy hits together. Or good old sing-alongs; who still knows ‘Dromen zijn bedrog’ by heart? Let’s go.

Image: The Bold Type