Choral singing makes people happy

The most popular arts-related participatory activity in the United States is choral singing. The group activity seems to stand out for this reason: Singing has some effects that other participatory activities don't.

Choral singing makes people happy. In songbirds, a male singing to a female activates the pleasure centre of the male's brain. Scientists found that the effect of singing on birds' brains is similar to the effect of addictive drugs on human brains. But the effect doesn't happen when singing alone.