Singing & Music = Happiness (Science Proves It!)

Last month, I introduced you to some of the reasons why music makes us feel so good. Over the next couple of blog posts, we’re going to get a little more specific about how and why that happens—because it’s truly fascinating.

It turns out that modern brain-imaging and neurochemical research can prove what we’ve known all along: music makes us happy.

When people sing—especially together—the body releases a potent mix of “happy hormones” and neurochemicals that shape mood, bonding, and stress response. Here’s a deeper dive into what’s going on inside your brain and body when you sing your heart out… and why this matters for families, children, and caregivers alike.

The Science of Singing & Music

1. Endorphins – The Natural High

Endorphins are your body’s built-in feel-good chemicals. They act much like natural painkillers and mood-boosters, which is part of why singing can literally make you feel lighter and more alive.

When you sing—especially with other people—endorphin levels tend to rise, creating a mild euphoric sensation and even helping to reduce physical discomfort. That post-class “buzz” you feel? That’s endorphins doing their happy dance.

2. Dopamine – The Reward Chemical

Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that makes you say, “Let’s do that again!” It’s about motivation, joy, and anticipation of pleasure.

When you hit a harmony, sync in with the beat, or even just belt out a tune you love, dopamine lights up the brain’s reward centres. That’s why you might get chills, goose-bumps, or emotional waves when singing a certain song.

That surge of dopamine helps lock in the enjoyment and creates a powerful memory with the desire to return. 

3. Oxytocin – The Bonding Hormone

Oxytocin is often called the “cuddle hormone” or “bonding hormone.” It helps foster trust, connection, and emotional safety.  

In class, when children sing with caregivers, you’re not just making music — you’re building connection mechanisms. That means stronger bonds, more trust, and a richer experience for everyone.“Group singing—matching voices, sharing breath, moving together—creates synchrony in bodies and brains. That synchrony plays a role in raising oxytocin and building social bonds. One study of group singing found that plasma oxytocin levels increased in the improvised singing condition.” PubMed+1 

Side note - being a partner or parent can be one of the most frustrating experiences alive sometimes!  Isn’t it amazing that nature created Oxytocin and other chemical rewards to help us come back for more connection (and procreation) even though it’s not always "convenient" or “easy.”

4. Serotonin – The Mood Stabiliser

Serotonin helps regulate mood, sleep, appetite, and general sense of well-being. While direct serotonin studies in singing contexts are less frequent, the broader picture of music regulation of mood is well supported.

“Singing in a joyful, safe, socially engaged setting can boost serotonin activity — which is one reason why regular musical participation correlates with lower anxiety and lighter depression. One study observed that “the same social brain networks implicated in making music are also involved in the social processes of human cognition — understanding others, empathising, and coordinating with others.” Greg Bryant+1

For you: when parents say they feel calmer or lighter after a class (or after a night out at a concert!) , it’s not just the fun — it’s their mood-regulation chemistry getting a wake-up call.

5. Lowered Cortisol – The Stress Melter

Cortisol is the main stress hormone. Too much of it makes us tense, wound-up, or fatigued.

Research shows that group singing lowers cortisol levels and leads to a calmer nervous system. For example, a recent 2025 study found that group singing significantly reduced salivary cortisol and alpha amylase while increasing pain threshold in people with Parkinson’s disease. Frontiers

In our early-childhood music classes, that means parents and caregivers walk out feeling more relaxed — because their stress systems have been nudged toward down-regulation.

Why This Happens: Evolution, Synchrony & Reward

Now let’s get into the why. Why has our body been designed to reward us for making music together? Why does singing with others unlock these neurochemical cascades?

a) Social Bonding Has Survival Value built in from Millennia long past!

Technology has evolved 1000's of times faster than our bodies could. Even though survival has become infinitely easier, the non-conscious parts of our bodies, brains and nervous systems still automatically react the same way they did when we truly had to fend for our survival in almost an animalistic way. At that time, our number one survival trait was simple, "strength in numbers." Being in a community helped us to defend ourselves, hunt, gather and also collectively care for children. Therefore, our bodies wisely developed a reward system to feel good in the presence of community (and often feel bad when we are without it). Music is one of the ultimate gathering mechanisms! So singing together triggers massive biological rewards to encourage us to keep getting together and doing it!

Archaeologist Steven Mithen even argues in "The Singing Neanderthals," that music and rhythm likely preceded language as our first form of communication and emotional bonding. “Music likely evolved as a tool for social bonding, helping humans connect and cooperate in groups far larger than any other primate species.”— Gregory Bryant, UCLA Professor of Communication and Cognitive Scientist

“From a neurochemical viewpoint, dopamine, endorphins, and oxytocin all serve to reinforce behaviors that historically supported survival and social cohesion. A singular study found that music induces dopamine release — an abstract reward — similar to food, sex, or monetary reward.” Medical News Today+1

b) Synchrony of Movement & Voice = “We’re one”

When people sing together, they synchronize: breaths align, rhythms align, voices align. Neuroscience shows that synchronized movement or sound increases social closeness and oxytocin release. SAGE Journals

Our ancestors who could sing, chant, and dance together had stronger group cohesion, cooperation, and trust—all of which mattered for survival.

In music classes: when groups of children + caregivers clap, sway, hum, sing together — you’re literally wiring a “we-are-together” mode. That’s experienced biologically as bonding, trust, and joy.

c) Mood Regulation & Stress Relief = Homeostasis

Beyond bonding and reward, these neurochemicals help regulate internal states: they balance stress, boost mood, stabilize emotional systems. In modern life — especially for busy parents and caregivers — that means music is one of the few built-in systems to recalibrate the nervous system in a joyful way.

What This Means for Ramblin’ Dan’s Freewheelin’ Band

• Every time children and caregivers join in a class, they’re not just singing — they’re invoking a neuro-social wellness practice.

• When we sing “Count on me” or even “The Itsy Bitsy Spider” together, we’re not just giving kids a fun time — we are giving all of us connection, trust, and a boost in well-being.

• Because our classes bring together babies, toddlers, caregivers, movement, voice, and rhythm, we are tapping all the mechanisms of synchrony + reward + bonding + stress-relief.

• When we sing together, we’re not just making sound — we’re building body-brains that feel safe, happy, and connected.

So the next time you’re in one of our classes with Ramblin’ Dan’s Freewheelin’ Band, remember to sing with conviction if you can, because when we say: “singing = happiness,” It isn’t fluff — it’s biology. Join us, sing with your child, and feel the science of joy firsthand. Classes are in session near you now! Check em Out!