| dc.description.abstract | The effects of singing on well-being are increasingly being researched. Singing has been associated with psychological benefits, such as eliciting positive emotions, enhancing a sense of meaning and purpose, and fostering social connectedness. At the physiological level, singing is associated with improvements of respiratory efficiency, increases in neuropeptide release such as endorphins and temporary increases in the variability of the heart rate, a marker of physiological flexibility. Furthermore, group singing is considered to have a faster bonding effect than other social activities. Little is known about the mechanisms engaged during singing that might mediate the well-being effects. This thesis investigates two main possibilities for the reported effects on well-being and social closeness. Firstly, that singing and vocalisation practices activate self-regulatory routes, mediated by the vagus nerve and sensorimotor activation, leading to more optimal states for social interaction. Secondly, that singing and vocalisation practices result in shared biological signals between people, which may support empathy processes. We provide evidence that singing and vocalisation practices involving the use of long notes change neural, physiological and affective states in a way that may support self-regulation. In particular, we find that heart rate variability increases when people make long vocalisations, compared to making short ones and that long vocalisations result in a decrease in subjectively reported arousal and a shift towards positive valence, compared to making short notes. We also find that vocalisation and singing are associated with alpha and theta power increases in the resting baselines following the practice, compared to breathing at the same frequency. Furthermore, we find that physiological signals become coupled between people when engaging in vocal exercises together, with a stronger coupling in heart rate variability for longer notes. We find that parts of this physiological coupling occurs beyond the effects of vocal synchronisation and the effects of breathing. We interpret our findings in the context of theories of autonomic responses and interoception. This research contributes to the understanding of the physiological mechanisms engaged during singing and how they may contribute to well-being and social closeness. Our findings inform the design and development of well-being and health interventions, embedded in social or technological contexts. | en_US |
