Researchers in Sweden studied the heart rates of choir members as they joined their voices together in song. Their findings, published this week in Frontiers in Neuroscience, confirm that heart rates become synchronized while the music produces calming effects.
When the choir began to sing — and exhale — in unison, the heart rates slowed down and became entrained, first appearing on the monitor as individual jagged lines, then quickly transforming to fairly uniform waves.
The findings may eventually be used to recommend choral singing for anxiety or pain relief.
– READ more, or LISTEN to a story, at NPR News
– Also, WATCH a Swedish video below