By Brad Bell
Many people may enjoy singing. Why do people like to sing? There could be a number of reasons for singing. In this article, I suggest that there are three basic reasons for singing. These include happiness, self-expression, and a sense of community.
Happiness
It seems obvious that singing may foster happiness. Singing can be a form of positive emotional expression. Moreover, for some people, it may convey a sense of achievement, and this feeling may increase happiness.
Self-expression
Chong (2010) asked participants whether they enjoyed singing, and the reasons why they did or did not enjoy singing. One of the categories in the study for reasons for singing was self-expression.
Self-expression can be viewed as partly involving expressing some aspects of one’s personality. Singing may be one way of expressing some aspects of one’s personality. For example, one can select a type of music that reflects one’s personality.
A Sense of Community
Singing can take place in a group. For example, a group of friends could go to a restaurant or bar for karaoke. Karaoke may foster conversations, and the group may be supportive of each person’s singing. This could increase a sense of community. This sense of community may reflect the feeling that one belongs to a group in which there is mutual support and similar interests.
One of the categories for reasons for singing in Chong’s (2010) study was interpersonal relationships, which Chong indicated as involving assembling with others.
References
Chong, H. J. (2010). Do we all enjoy singing? A content analysis of nonvocalists’ attitudes toward singing. The Arts in Psychotheraphy, 37, 120-124.