Does singing make people with Parkinson's feel better?
The Effects of Group Therapeutic Singing on Cortisol and Motor Symptoms in Persons With Parkinson's Disease
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Heart rate increased during singing but decreased during quiet reading—suggesting singing is energizing, not relaxing.
Most people think singing is calming, like meditation. But for Parkinson’s patients, it was more like a mild workout—yet still lifted mood without lowering stress hormones.
Practical Takeaways
Encourage Parkinson’s patients to join a group singing class—even if they don’t expect to move better, they’ll likely feel less sad.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Surprising Findings
Heart rate increased during singing but decreased during quiet reading—suggesting singing is energizing, not relaxing.
Most people think singing is calming, like meditation. But for Parkinson’s patients, it was more like a mild workout—yet still lifted mood without lowering stress hormones.
Practical Takeaways
Encourage Parkinson’s patients to join a group singing class—even if they don’t expect to move better, they’ll likely feel less sad.
Publication
Journal
Frontiers in Human Neuroscience
Year
2021
Authors
E. Stegemöller, Andrew Zaman, M. Shelley, Bhavana Patel, A. Kouzi, E. Shirtcliff
Related Content
Claims (6)
Singing in a group for one hour doesn’t seem to make people with Parkinson’s disease more stressed, at least not based on their stress hormone levels.
Just one hour of singing in a group might help people with Parkinson’s feel a little less sad, even if it doesn’t change their movement or stress hormones.
When people with Parkinson’s sing together in a group for an hour, their heart beats faster—but when they quietly read instead, their heart slows down. This suggests singing gets their body more stirred up than reading does.
After singing together in a group, people with Parkinson’s don’t show any clear link between how much their movement symptoms improve or worsen and how much their stress hormone (cortisol) changes.
Singing together in a group for just one hour doesn't make Parkinson's symptoms like stiffness or slow movement much better for most people, though some might feel a little different.