Get Happy!

 

Thanksgiving isn’t just a holiday.  It can, and ought to be, a way of living.  So often we are consumed by thoughts of what we don’t have that we forget to take stock in the things we do have.  Our consumer-driven society is obsessed with acquiring things that will supposedly bring us happiness.  I’m sure you can think of examples of a purchase you’ve made that you thought would bring you happiness only to be disappointed.  My list of examples is long!

Some Princeton researchers seeking to quantify happiness determined that our happiness is best defined as the absence of unhappiness.  In their study, the extent to which unpleasantness can be eliminated is a measure of how happy we are.  Think of how happy we would all be if we could eliminate traffic, the neighbor’s barking dog, or the nagging relative.  But none of these are realistic, practical or worthy of pursuit in our quest for happiness.  We all know someone who constantly thinks “If only…”.

Turns out that singing can lead to happiness. A study published in Australia in 2008 revealed that on average, choral singers rated their satisfaction with life higher than the public -- even when the actual problems faced by those singers were more substantial than those faced by the general public [source: MacLean]. A 1998 study found that after nursing-home residents took part in a singing program for a month, there were significant decreases in both anxiety and depression levels [source: ISPS]. Another study surveying more  than 600 British choral singers found that singing plays a central role in their psychological health [source: ISPS].

But why?  Apart from the well-documented physiological benefits of singing, research shows some interesting links between well-being and singing – and specifically singing in a choir.  “It's because some of the most important ties between singing and happiness are social ones. The support system of being part of a group, and the commitment to that group that gets people out of the house and into the chorus every week -- these are benefits that are specific to group singing. And they seem to be a big component of why choral singers tend to be happier than the rest of us. The feelings of belonging to a group, of being needed by the other members of that group ("We can't do this one without our alto!"), go a long way toward combating the loneliness that often comes along with being human in modern times.”  Read more.

So while you’re counting your blessings, keep singing!  You’re already happier than most and that’s something to be thankful for!