Psychological and physiological effects of singing in a choir

Psychological and physiological effects of singing in a choir
1. Ahmet Muhip Sanal
2. Selahattin Gorsev
1. Abant Izzet Baysal University, Turkey
1. Muhip Sanal, Department of Music Education, Abant Izzet Baysal University, 14280, Bolu, Turkey. Email: muhipsanal@yahoo.com
Abstract
This randomized controlled trial aimed to quantify the effects of choir singing on emotional state and anxiety levels of singers. Salivary amylase, PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) and STAI-s/-t(State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) were applied before and after a 1-hour single choir session for an experimental group (n = 35) and unstructured time for control group (n = 35). Amylase decreased in the experimental group but increased in the control group (p > 0.05 for Fgroup; p = 0.014 for Ftestbygroup). Follow-up analysis showed this interaction to be due to baseline differences between the two groups. Negative affect decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group (p > 0.05 for Ftest and Fgroup; p = 0.006 for Ftest by group). A decrease in positive affect was found between the pre- and post-test for the control group (p = 0.023 for Ftest; p = 0.004 for Ftest by group). State anxiety decreased in the experimental group and increased in the control group (p > 0.05 for Ftest and Fgroup; p = 0.001 for Ftest by group). Singing in a choir was found to have a positive impact on psychological indicators of affect and anxiety, however, its physiological effect could not be shown using salivary amylase in this study.