Body & Mind

The health benefits of singing karaoke

By Wieke Veenboer | #!30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:000030#30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:00-10Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202330 10am30am-30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:0010Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam2023302023Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +02004510454amMonday=9#!30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam4#04-10-2023#!30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:000030#\/30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:00-10Europe\/Amsterdam3030Europe\/Amsterdam202330#!30Mon, 10 Apr 2023 10:45:00 +0200+02:00Europe\/Amsterdam4#

Lately, I have been extremely health-conscious. I didn't actually know this; I just found out. Of course, I still drink too much, but apparently in a very healthy way: I always want to sing karaoke when I've had a bit too much to drink. But I also sing all day long when I'm sober, by the way; I actually sing all day when I'm at home. My downstairs neighbor girl does that too, so together we make a fun kind of a cappella group. And both of us are incredibly healthy, because singing karaoke turns out to have a lot of benefits. Harvard researched this, so I assume there is some truth to it.

They came up with three health benefits of singing karaoke, all of which are quite important in your life. Idea: cancel your sports class and just join the choir. Or sing along to the entire album of Taylor Swift at home. That's at least the option I'm going for.

1. It's good for your mental health
That doesn't surprise me at all, because I can easily imagine that singing is really an outlet, whether you can hold a tune or not. This would certainly be the case if you sing songs that mean a lot to you. Whether it's because of the lyrics or the high notes; as long as it's a song where you can give it your all. That has another plus: if you (no matter how off-key) belt out Don’t Stop Believin’ and hear the cheers from the audience, that's also good for your self-confidence.

2. Your breathing improves through singing
Lately, I've seen so many people suddenly doing breathwork; the way you breathe can really impact your mental and physical health. Even if you practice mindfulness or yoga, you'll be working a lot on your breathing. It's the same with singing: if you practice well with where you get your voice from (so from your chest) and sing many different songs (from rap to Céline Dion), you're also practicing that breathing, but in the most fun way possible.

3. It's good for your heart
Hmm, okay, this doesn't quite go well with all the alcohol you might drink before you hit the stage, but okay. Singing karaoke sober is the best for your heart: through the breathing exercises, you increase your lung capacity, lower your blood pressure, and improve your blood circulation. And your heart is very happy about that. Additionally, karaoke makes you happy and releases dopamine. That dopamine makes you feel less stress, pain, and anxiety, and keeps your heart from racing, your breathing stable, and your blood pressure low. So it's a win-win-win-win with karaoke singing.

Source: Harvard, Image: The Bold Type, Netflix