Aha can you feel the sound

It's all beneficial," said Kay Norton, a professor of musicology at Arizona State University who studies the healing power of music. Nobody knows exactly when humans first started singing on a regular basis. But in recent decades, scientists have studied its benefits in a range of areas, from relieving pain to minimizing snoring and helping improve posture and muscle tension.

Singing seems to have a particularly strong impact on lung function. Hitting all the notes in a song requires deep breathing, which improves oxygen intake and may help people with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

In addition to flicking on the dopamine switch, singing releases other feel-good hormones like oxytocin. It also may lower cortisol levels, reducing stress. Other research published in in Evolution and Human Behavior shows singing in a choir improves feelings of social connectedness.

A metanalysis of several studies published this past May in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society shows singing can trigger otherwise inaccessible memories for people with Alzheimer's and other forms of dementia.

You see people light up when they hear something that's familiar break through the fog of dementia," said Norton, who has written a book about singing and well-being. She suggests people share a playlist of their favorite songs in case loved ones need it one day.

Some people who've suffered brain damage from a stroke can actually sing words or phrases even if they're unable to say the same words or phrases, said Schlaug, who regularly sings with his stroke patients to determine if an intense program of singing helps their recovery.

While neuroscientists are still trying to figure out exactly why singing therapy helps some people who have had a stroke, one theory is it fires up brain activity and connects networks in different regions of the brain, particularly on the right side of the brain.

The right side of the brain has to compensate for this impairment. Interest in singing therapy and other types of music therapy have significantly increased in recent years, with thousands of board-certified practitioners now working with patients in schools, doctor's offices and nursing homes. But even if you're just singing in the shower, everyone should do it regularly, Schlaug said.

After all, it's one of the easiest activities to do and may have therapeutic potential. American Heart Association News covers heart and brain health. Not all views expressed in this story reflect the official position of the American Heart Association.

Watch the original video here. It also marked the last time a-ha ever charted a Top 20 single in the U. While a-ha vanished from the American pop landscape, in Europe the group scored a long run of critical and commercial success including their newest — and final — album Foot of the Mountain , which debuted at Number Five in the U.

We sold out these concert halls faster than we expected to. Their career will wrap for good with three concerts in Oslo, Norway. It was amazing. Newswire Powered by. Close the menu. Rolling Stone. Log In. To help keep your account secure, please log-in again.