Macht Singen glücklich? Die Ausschüttung von Serotonin, Noradrenalin, Adrenalin, Dopamin und Beta-Endorphin während eines Gesangsauftritts als psychophysiologischer Indikator.
(Does singing promote happiness? Hormonal effects of singing as a sign of an emotional experience.)
Biegl T
Diploma project, University of Vienna, Austria
thomas.biegl@gmx.at
Background: Music may contribute to one’s well-being, happiness and protection against illness. Singing increases oxytocin levels, cortisol levels decrease in babies that are sung to and secretory immunoglobulin increases during music therapy while singing choral music and Beethoven’s "Missa solemnis".
Goals: This research is a pilot study to test in what ways the levels of serotonin, noradrenaline, adrenaline, dopamine and beta-endorphine are changing while artists are singing.
Methods: Blood was taken at three different times from six singers: 1. at the beginning of the condition "everyday life" (approx. 1/2 hour before the concert), 2. directly before the concert, 3. immediately after singing.
Results: The values of serotonin, noradrenaline and beta-endorphine are higher after singing than before singing, the adrenaline value is lower after singing than before singing, dopamine-values did not increase during the performance.
Conclusions: Feelings of well being and happiness are elicited while singing. It may be advantageous to have more test subjects and to check differences in the blood values between professional singers and amateurs, various musical genres like pop and classical, and compare singing to other activities.