Same thing we do every night, Pinkie – SING!!!
Okay, if you caught the reference to Pinkie and the Brain, you probably already like to do stuff that stimulates the neurons with witty references to arcane bits of history, pop culture, and the like. So you won’t be terribly disappointed if I caper about with just a few links to reports on and research on how singing benefits the brain and the lives of those who sing.
http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/mpapps/pagetools/print/news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/4448634.stm
How singing makes you happy (summary article and its sources below:
- “America Ranks Choruses as #1 Form of Arts Participation.” Chorus America. Feb. 25, 2003. http://www.rrcb.org/documents/chorusamerica.doc
- Allot, Serena. “Why singing makes you happy.” Telegraph. March 26, 2009. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/wellbeing/5050461/Why-singing-makes-you-happy.html
- “Choral singing and psychological wellbeing: Findings from English choirs in a cross-national survey using the WHOQOL-BREF.” International Symposium on Performance Science. http://www.newcastle.edu.au/Resources/Research%20Centres/ArtsHealth/Choral-singing-and-psychological-wellbeing.pdf
- MacLean, Tamara. “Choral singing makes you happy: survey.” Sydney Morning Herald. July 10, 2008. http://news.smh.com.au/national/choral-singing-makes-you-happy-survey-20080710-3cyg.html
- “Singing to females makes male birds’ brains happy.” EurekAlert. Oct. 3, 2008. http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-10/plos-stf100308.php
Can Music provoke involuntary body responses? Now I’ve heard everything – using music to provoke salivation!
bob's brain: living well with a movement disorder and other comorbidities 