Hymn-singing = good health

Each day I make a habit of reading at least one song from some old hymnals I’ve collected. They never get old and they always lift my spirits.

Some of them even actually make me chuckle a little to myself because I think about the author and the unique lyrics he/she came up with and wonder what was going on in their thoughts/prayers that prompted them to put the exact words they did on paper. Then, of course, there’s the word rhyming choices they made. I have to say it’s an ever-fascinating study to examine their lyrics.

Last night, just before going to bed, I picked up my church’s old hymnal and came across No. 20, “O Could I Speak.”

The first stanza goes, “O could I speak the matchless worth, O could I sound the glories forth Which in my Savior shine, I’d soar and touch the heav’nly strings, And vie with Gabriel while he sings In notes almost divine, In notes almost divine.”

The third stanza is, “I’d sing the characters He bears, And all the forms of love He wears, Exalted on His throne; In loftiest songs of sweetest praise, I would to everlasting days Make all His glories known, Make all His glories known.”

*****

This morning I was listening to Chicago’s WBBM radio news report on a study that says singing makes you healthier. I did a quick search on the internet and found the story written up on Huffington Post.

Writer Emily Blackwood says a global study of more than 1,700 choir members found that “singing in a group improved a person’s well-being because it created social connection and cognitive stimulation.”

“Music alone can increase antibodies that boost your immunity and protect your body against bacteria,” she reported.

The article continued, “According to Katie Ziskind, a licensed family therapist practicing in Connecticut, blasting music releases oxytocin, a chemical sometimes called ‘the love hormone.’ Most people feel the effects of oxytocin when they’re hugging someone or in the beginning stages of a romantic relationship. Oxytocin initiates emotions like trust, a sense of stability and even relaxation.

“ ‘It boosts mood and uplifts mood,’ Ziskind said, adding that oxytocin isn’t the only happy hormone that’s released when you’re blasting your favorite tunes. ‘Studies have shown that simply thinking about listening to your favorite song, before you actually listen, releases serotonin, another feel-good chemical in your brain that reduces anxiety.’

“In addition to the other feel-good hormones mentioned above, you’re also getting a hefty dose of dopamine when you’re singing your favorite lyrics at the top of your lungs . . .

“Even if the song you’re listening to happens to be a somber tune, it can still help you process your emotions in a healthy way. Depending on your mood, different kinds of music can feel almost therapeutic . . . 

“ ‘[Singing] is a way for us to express emotions, especially difficult ones,’ Ray said. ‘When we sing lyrics we can relate to and along with the artist, we feel less alone.’

“Music is emotionally evocative and helps bring up emotions you might have otherwise avoided for a long time, said Nick Hobson, director of science at the coaching service Psychology Compass.

“ ‘It’s for this exact reason why music therapy is showing promising results for helping people deal with anxiety, depression and PTSD,’ Hobson said.

Ultimately, belting out your favorite tune can be seen as a very basic way to practice self-care, according to Ashley Hampton, a licensed psychologist and entrepreneurial coach in Birmingham, Alabama.

*****

In a related article teased at the end of the piece, author Taylor Pittman writes,  

“There are some songs you can listen to over and over again. But why?

There’s no definitive answer, but we all know that some music makes us feel specific feelings or elicits certain memories that transport us back in time.

“One of the main reasons certain songs resonate with us is the way we connect them with a part of ourselves.

“ ‘Music is the way that we create our personal identity,’ said Kenneth Aigen, director of the music therapy program at New York University. ‘It’s part of our identity construction. Some people say you are what you eat. In a lot of ways, you are what you play or you are what you listen to.’

“Aigen explained that a song’s lyrics, beats and other characteristics can embody different feelings and attitudes that enhance our sense of identity.

“ 'Each time we re-experience our favorite music, we’re sort of reinforcing our sense of who we are, where we belong, what we value,’ he said.

“Pablo Ortiz, professor of music composition at the University of California, Davis, also noted that certain songs can connect us to a time in our past because they carry a certain sentiment.

“ ‘Whenever you listen to a song that you used to listen to when you were 15, for instance, the feeling of that period in your life comes back intact,’ he said. “ ‘The sound is abstract enough to go directly to the part of your brain that governs the feeling.’

*****

No wonder the Apostle Paul, speaking for Jesus Christ, exhorts us in Ephesians 5, [18] And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;
[19] Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;

Paul writes in Colossians 3, [15] And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
[16] Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

(new article tomorrow)