In the history of mankind, there have been no cultures or nations that did not have songs or music. At the very least, the oldest musical instrument ever found is over 35,000 years old. It is a flute made from a bird’s bone. The mere fact that it is a flute indicates that our ancestors had well-developed musical traditions. Sound production using a wind instrument is a conceptually complex idea in itself, and the presence of holes to change the pitch clearly demonstrates a fairly deep understanding of melody.
Researchers Are Brean and Geir Olve Skeie write in their book Music and the Brain that music is a fundamental activity, and musicality is a fundamental quality for humans. And not just humans—many animals are also prone to a certain musicality in communication. For example, the collective howling of a wolf pack or the singing of birds during the mating season. Why do we love to sing so much, and how does karaoke affect our mood?
Straight to the Brain
Our brain is an amazing organ. One of its main properties is neuroplasticity, that is, variability under the influence of everything we do and think about. Every time we learn something new or experience feelings, new neural connections are formed, slightly changing the internal structure of the brain. Thanks to this feature, we can learn, be surprised, and change throughout our lives, including by listening to our favorite music.
Music activates the reward system in the brain, literally possessing the ability to change the brain, which is perfectly noticeable in people for whom music means much more than just a hobby. Dutch psychologists have proven that, for example, professional musicians can more easily read another person’s emotions from their facial expressions and the sound of their voice. In addition, activity increases in the areas responsible for auditory perception and dealing with complex audiovisual connections, such as reading.
How does ordinary singing differ from performing karaoke? After all, we don’t just sing something in the shower because we are in a good mood. In the process, we use almost all the main areas of the brain. When reading text from a monitor, we use our vision and visual associative areas in the occipital lobe to interpret impressions, and areas in the parietal zone to decode the lyrics. In addition, the frontal lobes, cerebellum, and motor areas of the cerebral cortex are active. The hearing apparatus, together with the auditory associative areas, controls the performer’s actions every second so that we hit the notes. The effect of karaoke on the brain can be compared to an orchestral musician reading sheet music.
Add to this the emotional component of karaoke: surround stereo sound that gives you goosebumps; the mesmerizing concert sound of the voice; friends singing along with you. It is as if we find ourselves in a single flow of mood and music, which awakens our feelings, fills us with energy, and restores our strength. With the help of karaoke, you can create a calm and romantic atmosphere after a hard day or cheer yourself up before a meeting.
But more importantly, when choosing a track in the catalog, we are essentially looking not for a song, but for a specific emotion or happy moments from the past. It is no coincidence that we love singing the hits of our youth so much—they are associated with the most pleasant memories and the brightest impressions of our lives. We re-experience the boundless happiness we felt at the dawn of our youth. Therefore, retro parties will never lose their popularity, because they are almost always associated with happiness.
Thanks to karaoke, emotional activity increases noticeably. When performing, the reward system in the brain is activated, bringing us joy and pleasure. A passion for music affects how accurately we recognize the emotional background of other people, command our speech, and maintain our attention. It is also possible that practicing music from childhood may be correlated with overall intelligence levels.
Sing karaoke and be happy.
