Christmas carols do cancer patients a world of good
Jazz legend, Ella Fitzgerald, once said “The only thing better than singing is more singing.” For cancer patients, this could be just what the doctor ordered.
A British study has shown possible links between singing and wellbeing, suggesting singing can boost immunity, as well as general mood. While the study has shown a correlation, rather than a causation, the findings suggest exciting possibilities for collaboration between the musical and medical worlds.
193 people took part in the study spanning patients, carers and bereaved carers. Patients were excluded from the study if they were pregnant, under 18 years of age, or currently being treated with chemo, radiotherapy or oral immunosuppressive drugs. Just over 40% of included patients had a current diagnosis of breast cancer or were in remission.
The study looked at mood, stress, relaxation, mental wellbeing and social connectedness levels before and after a single 70 minute singing session. Led by a trained choir conductor, the session involved warm-up exercises, learning new songs and singing from a repertoire.
Mood, stress, relaxation, mental wellbeing and social connectedness levels were compared before and after the intervention using gold standard systems like the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale.
Participant mood, anxiety and stress levels improved significantly after the singing while no change in social resilience was observed. Interestingly, participants who were more stressed or depressed before the session, were more positively affected than those with a more positive state of baseline wellbeing.
Researchers believe the positive effect of music on health could come from a reduction in stress hormone called cortisol, which normally would suppress the immune system. Singing also appeared to reduce inflammation levels (associated with mental health conditions like depression) – a possible reason why singers experienced a lift in mood.
The findings reflect the growing trend of mental health organisations towards delivering singing programmes for people affected by cancer including patients, carers and staff, as well as programmes for people living with depression.
Further research is required to figure out which feature of singing is the most important – whether it’s the social engagement of the choir setting, the physical exercise of standing and singing, or the music itself.