Social Capital Benefits of Choral Singing
A study done in 2000 by Robert Beck (of U. Cal., Irvine) and others called “Choral Singing, Performance Perception, and Immune System Changes in Salivary Immunoglobulin A and Cortisol” (Music Perception, Fall 2000: 18(1):87-106.) used saliva swabs before and after rehearsals and performances of a professional choir singing Beethoven’s Missa Solemnis. He found that immunoglobulin A (which provides immunity and lowers stress) increased 150% during rehearsals and 237% during performances…
