Short Stuff: Does singing make you happy?

Summary

Podcast Summary

Podcast: Stuff You Should Know
Episode: Short Stuff: Does singing make you happy?
Date: June 17, 2026
Hosts: Josh & Chuck

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Episode Overview

In this Short Stuff episode, Josh and Chuck explore whether singing—especially in groups—makes people genuinely happier. They discuss personal anecdotes, studies on the physical and psychological benefits of singing, and why group choral singing stands out as a particularly uplifting experience.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Personal Reflections on Singing

• Josh shares a personal Instagram-inspired story about modern choir groups forming in nontraditional spaces, such as a friend's warehouse. He reminisces about his positive experiences singing in church choirs as a child and contemplates starting a neighborhood singing group.
  • "I sang in a choir growing up in my church, and Emily and I both sang ... we both got a lot out of those experiences." (01:50)
• Chuck coins the term "humanist choirs" for these casual, communal singing groups.
  • "Like humanist choirs." (01:45)
• They agree that singing with others, even informally, is appealing, fun, and emotionally rewarding.

2. Prevalence and Popularity of Choral Singing

• Choral singing is reported as the most popular participatory arts activity in the U.S.:
  • "Almost 29 million people regularly sing in a choral group... most popular of all arts-related participatory activities." (03:02)
• There's humor around how this beats out other creative group activities:
  • "It's more popular than cross country painting and charades leagues combined." (03:23)

3. Singing and Happiness—Science and Studies

• All Singing is Beneficial, But Group Singing is Best:
  • Singing of any kind releases endorphins, but choral singing has the most pronounced effects due to social and psychological factors.
  • Karaoke is cited as evidence that singing makes people feel good—even if they're not technically proficient.
    • "People will watch other people who can't sing sing ... and feel good about it." (04:28)
• Scientific Studies:
  • Australia (2008): Choral singers reported higher satisfaction with life than the general public, even after controlling for variables.
    • "Choral singers ... are more satisfied with their life ... Yes, it will [still hold true]." (08:04)
  • UK (1998 & Later): Nursing home residents who participated in singing programs saw significant reductions in anxiety and depression; a study of 600 British choral singers found singing central to their psychological health.
    • "Big time decreases in both anxiety and depression ... singing plays a central role in their psychological health." (09:04)

4. Physical and Cognitive Benefits of Singing

• Physical Benefits:
  • Singing is likened to aerobic exercise: deep, controlled breathing increases oxygen and improves circulation.
    • "Good circulation makes you happy ... singing is prescribed ... for lung rehab ..." (09:37)
  • The deep breathing aspect mimics core practices of meditation and relaxation.
• Cognitive Benefits:
  • Learning new songs or parts (e.g., alto, tenor) works out the brain, provides focus, and offers temporary relief from life's stresses.
    • "If you're learning things and if you're concentrating ... you're not thinking of the stress at work ... " (11:33)

5. Psychological and Social Advantages

• The sense of belonging and inclusion in choirs fosters happiness and community:
  • "You are needed by this group. Your voice is needed ... There's a sense of belonging ... inclusion that comes from being a member of a choir." (12:03)

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Group Singing's Prevalence:
  • "You guys would be the 250,000 first chorus group in the United States..." — Chuck (03:02)
• On Karaoke:
  • "People will watch other people who can't sing sing." — Chuck (04:28)
• On the Australian Study:
  • "Choral singers ... are more satisfied with their life." — Chuck (08:04)
  • "I'm going to say, man, they were as happy as an Australian choral singer." — Josh (09:00)
• On Physical Benefits:
  • "Singing is prescribed ... for lung rehab for some sort of lung issue." — Chuck (09:37)
• Josh’s Own ‘Sing Therapy’:
  • "I would sing as hard as I could sing. And it really, really felt good. It made a big difference in how I felt." — Josh (10:29)
  • "What were you singing?" — Chuck / "Whatever. A lot of Billy Joel." — Josh (11:01-11:05)
• On Social Cohesion:
  • "You are needed by this group ... a sense of belonging and inclusion..." — Chuck (12:03)
• Josh’s Madison Memory:
  • "I heard singing, and I was like, group singing. And ... there was a group of young people ... singing a Radiohead song. And it was the most lovely thing I had ever heard." — Josh (12:43)

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Important Timestamps

• 01:17 – Josh describes the Instagram choir trend and his personal history with choral singing.
• 03:02 – Chuck notes the massive popularity of choral singing in the U.S.
• 04:06 – Discussion shifts to individual vs. group singing and karaoke culture.
• 06:19 – (Non-content segment)
• 07:36 – Benefits of singing (endorphins, confidence, etc.).
• 08:04 – Australia study on choral singers' life satisfaction.
• 09:04 – UK studies on singing’s mental health effects, including for nursing home residents.
• 09:37 – Physical benefits: aerobic-like breathing, lung rehab.
• 10:29 – Josh shares his personal "sing therapy" story.
• 11:24 – Learning new music works the brain; choir as a stress-relieving focus.
• 12:03 – Social belonging and inclusion as the key benefit of choir singing.
• 12:43 – Josh's Madison hotel story: waking up to a group singing Radiohead on a pier.

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Takeaways

• Singing in any form is good for you, but group singing offers exceptional benefits, from increased happiness and self-confidence to cognitive stimulation and physical well-being.
• Choirs create communities: The sense of belonging, supportive structure, and shared purpose multiply the positive effects.
• You don’t have to be a great singer to benefit: The act itself—especially with others—can lift the mood and improve life satisfaction.

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Final Thoughts

Josh and Chuck make a compelling, humorous, and heartwarming case for singing together, illustrated with studies, pop culture references, and personal stories. Their discussion encourages listeners to consider joining—or starting—a group singing experience, highlighting the joy and fulfillment that comes from raising your voice with others.

Transcript

[Josh]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. I turned off news altogether.

[Kal Penn]

I hate to say it, but I

[Chuck]

don't trust much of anything.

[Ryan Seacrest]

It's the rage bait.

[Kal Penn]

It feels like it's trying to divide people.

[Josh]

We got clear facts.

[Kal Penn]

Maybe we could calm down a little. NBC News brings you clear reporting. Let's meet at the Facts. Let's move forward from there. NBC News reporting for America.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey there, It's Ryan Seacrest for Safeway for you. Save days are here now through June 25th. Find hot deals throughout the store and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Triscuit, Quaker, Reese's, and Dot's Pretzels. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings. When you shop in store or online for easy pickup or delivery, restrictions apply. See the website for full terms and conditions.

[Chuck]

Hey, and welcome to the Short Stuff. Josh here. Chuck. Here. Jerry. Here. Dave here in spirit at Short Stuff. Sorry, it's Short Stuff.

[Josh]

Yeah. I'm gonna start this one by telling a quick little story of last year. I got in my Instagram feed for a little while these choirs, these choral singing groups that were, you know, it's kind of a thing now where it's not like, oh, you know, we go to the church and it's in official choir, but like, hey, my friend has a warehouse space and we can put a piano in it and just put out a call to see, like, people want to show up and sing together.

[Chuck]

Like humanist choirs.

[Josh]

Is that what it's called?

[Chuck]

That's what I'm calling it.

[Josh]

Oh, okay. Yeah. Oh, just cause. Yeah, Humanist episode. I gotcha. Yeah, exactly that. And, you know, they're doing like a cool Radiohead song or something like that or whatever, you know, Christmas music around the holidays. And I was like, you know what, man? I sang in a choir growing up in my church, and Emily and I both sang. She sang in show choir. And like, we both got a lot out of those experiences. And I haven't done it since I was a teenager. And I was like, man, we got a piano, and I bet you we could get a group together to come around and do this kind of thing. And I was. I still might do it this year, but I never got around to it. But it was something that was really kind of on my list.

[Chuck]

So are you going to do it, though, you think?

[Josh]

Well, I really want to do it.

[Chuck]

Okay, we'll do it.

[Josh]

Yeah, I do want to Cause I think, you know, I would be the facilitator, but I would get someone who's like, somebody's gotta lead the show. Cause I can't do that. But I'll sing and I'll put, you know, I'll provide the space and the piano.

[Chuck]

Okay. There you go. I think that's a good start.

[Josh]

I think it would be fun, like a neighborhood deal and long way of sort of getting around to this idea that they've kind of learned that singing is good for you. And specifically singing together, like in a choir.

[Chuck]

Right? Yeah, that's a big thing. And Chuck, if you did get a choral group together, you guys would be the 250,000 first chorus group in the United States, because that's how many are in there. Yeah, something like almost 29 million people regularly sing in a choral group in the United States. And it's the most popular of all arts related participatory activities. Yeah, it's more popular than cross country painting and charades leagues combined.

[Josh]

You know, interestingly, I saw a study the other day where they found one participatory activity helps stave off dementia more than any other, and it was dance.

[Chuck]

Oh, I believe that.

[Josh]

Yeah. Because the movement and all the benefits of doing a participatory activity, plus the benefits of the exercise and everything. But it was something about dance that and it was like kind of off the charts and like how good it was for you to do as you age.

[Chuck]

Sure. Get your troubles. Come on, get happy.

[Josh]

All right, so let's talk about singing, though. Because, like, if you get together with the choir, obviously everyone there is probably going because they like to sing and they're probably pretty good at singing. But you can just go to your local karaoke bar as evidence that, like, people love to sing who can't sing at all sometimes. And they will do that in front of people. And people will like, still watch that and be interested.

[Chuck]

For sure. Yeah, people will watch other people who can't sing sing.

[Josh]

Yeah.

[Chuck]

And then people who can't sing will sing in front of other people and feel good about it. Like, karaoke is a great example of like, the fact that this exists. There's something about singing, including singing in front of other people, that actually does give you a positive vibe.

[Josh]

Yes.

[Chuck]

So you said something though. I mean, like, you can sing at home in the shower. You can sing at home on the couch. You could sing at home in the kitchen.

[Josh]

Sing in the car. For sure.

[Chuck]

Sing in the car. You could sing in the laundry room. Like, you could sing basically anywhere by yourself. And yes, there are benefits, as we'll see. But because there's something about singing in a group as we'll kind of unpack, it's just it provides greater benefits. But if you do sing in your laundry room, you're still going to get some benefits from it. But if you got a group of people to sing with you in your laundry room, you would be doing really good for sure.

[Josh]

Good. Time for a break.

[Chuck]

Yeah. All right.

[Josh]

We're going to talk about what those benefits are because they seem kind of mysterious right after this.

[Chuck]

If you want to know, then you're in luck. Just listen up to Josh and Chuck stuff you should know.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Hey there, It's Ryan Seacrest for Safeway for you. Save days are here now through June 25th. Find hot deals throughout the store and earn four times the points. Look for in store tags to earn on eligible items from Triscuit, Quaker, Reese's and Dot's Pretzels. Then clip the offer in the app for automatic event long savings. Stack up those rewards to save even more. Enjoy savings on top of savings. When you shop in store or online for easy pickup or delivery restrictions apply. See the website for full terms and conditions.

[Kal Penn]

Hey everyone, it's Kal Penn. I'm the host of Irsay the Audible and iHeart Audiobook Club. This week on the PODC, I am sitting down with Ray Porter, the narrator of Andy Weir's audiobook project, Hail Mary Massive sci fi adventure about survival and science and what happens when you wake up alone, very far from Earth.

[Ray Porter]

I really had to make a decision because I caught myself getting that frog in my throat and starting to get teary as I'm narrating some of these sections. And it's like, okay, yo, yo, yo, is this indulgent? And I really thought about it. I was like, no. At this point, it would kind of be betraying the trust the author and the listener have in telling this story if I don't go through it. But there's places in this book that that deeply, emotionally affected me. And I left it on the mic. That's great because it served the story. People will say like, oh my God, I cried at the end. It's like, yeah, dude, me too.

[Kal Penn]

Listen to Hearsay. The Audible and iHeart audiobook club on the iHeartradio app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Chuck]

Stuff you should know. Stuff you should

[Kal Penn]

know.

[Josh]

All right, so like you mentioned before the break, all types of singing is good for you. We found it releases endorphins, which is Always great. If you're singing in front of people, it's gonna, you know, build your confidence. Like, I've seen some not very good singers at karaoke just like still kind of kill it and walk out of there clearly kind of brimming with confidence, which is going to have a great effect on your life and well being for sure.

[Chuck]

But like I said, singing with a group, choral singing has the most dramatic effects. And there's actually some studies that have shown this. Apparently In Australia and 2008, a study looked at choral singers and said, hey, how satisfied are you with your life? And they said, really satisfied. So satisfied that if you compared us to the average person from the general public, we're more satisfied with our life. They're like, well, wait a minute, what if we control for all these differences and the only difference is these people sing and the rest of the people don't? Will that still hold true? Yes, it will.

[Josh]

That's right. It's Australia. They said, yes, and not narrow.

[Chuck]

And I mean, Australians are generally happy on a whole compared to other groups.

[Josh]

No, I totally agree.

[Chuck]

That was so like Australian choral singers, through the roof happy. They can't stop smiling.

[Josh]

Yeah. In fact, I'm going to start saying that. I'm going to say, man, they were as happy as an Australian choral singer.

[Chuck]

That's a great one. That's great.

[Josh]

In 1998, there was another study that found after nursing home residents were, you know, active in a singing program for a month, there were big time decreases in both anxiety and depression levels. And a study in England, 600 British choral singers found that singing plays a central role in their psychological health. Like, people get a lot out of it.

[Chuck]

Right. And that would have included Ireland and Wales.

[Josh]

That's right. Actually, I'm not, I didn't look too deeply into that one. But yeah, if it said British, then for sure, sure.

[Chuck]

So some of the physical effects though, it actually does. Like we've been talking mostly about well being. We'll talk a little more about that. But physically speaking, singing has a great effect on your body. It's essentially an aerobic exercise because of the way you're breathing. You're getting more oxygen in your blood. That improves your circulation. Good circulation makes you happy. I've seen that it's prescribed. Singing is prescribed to people who are going through lung rehab for some sort of lung issue. Yeah. And there's also like a. You, you need to breathe deeply. So you're spending like an hour or so like a week breathing deeply. That's essentially one of, like, the main parts of meditation and relaxation techniques is. Is deep, you know, controlled breathing. Singing in a choir requires you to do that.

[Josh]

Yeah, for sure. I remember talking. Oh, when was it? I guess it was sometime late last year when. Or I guess early last year, when I was very upset a lot about politics. Not like I am now, which is, like, just super stoked all the time. But I remember talking about sing therapy, and that's what I did for a little while. I would, like, put on my piano. It's a little player piano. So I would put that on and I would sing as hard as I could sing. And it really, really felt good. It made a big difference in how I felt.

[Chuck]

What were you singing?

[Josh]

Whatever. A lot of Billy Joel.

[Chuck]

Oh, that's great.

[Josh]

No, like, I was singing whatever. Whatever you could really belt out, you know.

[Chuck]

Okay. I think that's wonderful that you did that for yourself, man.

[Josh]

Yeah, it was fun.

[Chuck]

So one of the things that you could have also done, since you probably know every word to every Billy Joel song, you could have learned some new songs, right?

[Josh]

Sure.

[Chuck]

And had you done that, you would have been working your brain, which is another benefit of singing, especially in a group. You have to learn new stuff every week.

[Josh]

Yeah, for sure. And if you're learning things and if you're concentrating, like, all right, I gotta work out my alto part on this thing. I'm a tenor, actually. Work on your tenor part. And then when you get together with your little choir or big choir, and you're like, all right, I gotta remember my part here where I come in. That's what you're thinking of. That's what's on your mind. You're not thinking of the stress at work or the stress at home or the stress in your life or your health stress. Like, it's your chance to park that stuff and really dwell on something else for a while.

[Chuck]

Right. And then we finally arrive at one of the big reasons why. Probably the biggest reason why singing in a choir actually has the most benefits of any kind of singing is because you are becoming part of a group. Like, if you've ever been a member of any kind of choir, like, that's a fairly tight group. Everybody knows one another. You're required to rely on one another. Like, you are needed by this group. Your voice is needed. Your part is needed. Like, there's a sense of belonging and inclusion that comes from being a member of a choir. And then on top of that, adding in all of the benefits of singing again, like, this is. It's just really good for you.

[Josh]

Yeah. It's amazing when we were. I think I told you this backstage, but when we were in Madison, I went a day early, and I woke up the next morning, and my hotel was, like, kind of right on the water. So I had the windows open because I could hear the water gently lapping, and it sounded really nice. But I heard singing, and I was like, group singing. And I was like, where is that coming from? And I went and looked out of my window, and there was. It turns out that in the hotel, there was a choral festival going on. So there were a bunch of choirs standing there, and there was a group of young people, like probably 20 of them, on a dock, on a pier, singing a Radiohead song. And it was the most lovely thing I had ever heard. You can't imagine a better way to sort of start your morning than just by hearing that.

[Chuck]

In reality, though, backstage, everybody, he told me that he shouted, pipe down. And slammed his window.

[Josh]

Shut up, kids.

[Chuck]

That's cool, man.

[Josh]

It was great. It was so, so lovely.

[Chuck]

Great. Well, I think so, since we ended that on a high note from one of Chuck's good memories. Good recent memories from our visit to Madison. It means Short Stuff is out.

[Josh]

Stuff youf Should Know is a production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite show.