Science Finds That Singing Makes Getting Old Suck Less

Singing has been found to be good for groups, but it also is good for an individual's health, and may make our ever-growing golden years that much more shimmy, musical, and full of saliva.

One of the least-heralded, but most distinct aspects of our brave new world is just how old its residents are. According to a UN report on World Population Ageing (sic), population aging is unprecedented in human history and is not going away anytime in the foreseeable future. A combination of rising life expectancy and lowering fertility rates has the worldwide median age rising—from 22 in 1950, to 27 in 2000, to more than 36 by 2050.

While the UN notes that eventually every country on Earth will have to face the issues that it brings, populations aren't aging evenly the world over. Japan's population is aging faster than even Europe's—one in four people are over 65 today, and by 2040, people over 60 will account for over 43 percent of the country's population, according to the GAP Index.

So it's no surprise that Japan is invested in researching how to better care for an aging population, whether it be through the affection of robotic seals, or through uncovering the therapeutic upsides of singing.

A team of researchers from the Tsurumi University School of Dental Medicine, and the National Institute of Public Health, looked at the gift of song in the mouth, and found that even for people who don't like to sing, four minutes of song reduces stress and improves both moods and oral health.

The study looked at 44 subjects who were all over the age of 60, and measured the subjects' moods with surveys, and tested their blood, saliva, and ability to swallow before and after singing three songs of their own choice.

As the study, published in the journal Biopsychosocial Medicine, explains:

The results showed that the amount of saliva increased and the level of cortisol, a salivary stress marker, decreased after singing. The Visual Analog Scale (VAS) scores for feeling refreshed, comfortable, pleasurable, light-hearted, relieved, and relaxed; the tension and confusion subscale score; and the total mood disturbance (TMD) score of the Profile of Mood States (POMS) all showed improvements. Furthermore, the same tendencies were shown regardless of whether or not the subjects liked singing.

It's interesting that the study was conducted by researchers from the department of pathology at a dental school, who looked where it may not occur to others to look. The link between stress and aging has been known for some time, but, it never occurred to me, at least, to look at the palliative qualities of spit. As the study explains though, “maintenance of the oral condition of the elderly is essential to enable them to stay healthy, especially to prevent aspiration pneumonia.”

They researchers looked at cortisol levels because it is a steroid hormone secreted from the zona fasciculata of the adrenal cortex most often studied in connection with stress. People living with daily stress are known to have higher incidences of cerebrovascular disease and ischemic heart disease, in addition to aging faster, which indicates just how closely good mental health is linked to good physical health.

As the population gets older, finding ways to keep both mind and body relaxed and happy will become increasingly important. Whether the subjects are responding to the low-level physical strain of singing, or its mood-enhancing qualities, remains to be seen, as do the results of habitual singing. This study indicates that there should probably be a place for choirs of the retired, in the future.