When people with Parkinson’s disease sing in a group, their pain tolerance doesn’t seem to change because of the hormone oxytocin in their saliva — so oxytocin probably isn’t the reason they feel less pain after singing.

When adults with Parkinson’s sing in a group, their stress hormone levels sometimes drop, and when that happens, they seem to feel less pain—but only during the first two singing sessions, not the third. So the connection might just be temporary or unpredictable.

People with Parkinson’s who sing in a group once a week for 45 minutes over 12 weeks may feel less pain after just a couple of sessions — it’s not medicine, but singing might help them tolerate pain a bit better.

People with Parkinson’s who sing in a group may feel less stressed, because their body’s stress hormone (cortisol) goes down—especially after singing together 12 times.

When people sing together in a choir for 20 minutes, their body’s oxytocin levels drop—unlike when they sing alone, where levels stay the same. This surprises scientists because they thought group activities like this always boost oxytocin, the ‘bonding hormone.’

When adults with Parkinson’s sing in a group, their stress levels (measured by a chemical in saliva) seem to drop after the second time they sing—but not every time—so singing might sometimes calm their nervous system, but not always.