Instruments of the Earth: The Evolutionary Importance of Communal Singing
“We are the instruments of the Earth, and when we sing, we feel the Earth’s beauty in our bodies — and we multiply it.” -Danica Boyce
The voice is the most ancient instrument used by humankind, and singing is mysteriously universal to all people found on Earth. Today, just like our ancient ancestors, we sing for all occasions. For prayer, birth, death, love, sorrow, travel, and working, there is not a subject of the human experience that has not been touched upon by the human voice. We know that even many of the earliest creation myths were passed down in the form of song, with many claiming that the world was brought to existence by songs of the gods.
Not only is singing therapeutic, the survival and success of our species could have been greatly influenced by this distinctly human development. Group song is one of the social glues that binds people together. It is an integral part in shaping both individual and communal identity. With this in mind, how are modern cultures that do not have a tradition of group song participation affected, both individually and as a group? Could they be missing something crucial to their wellbeing?
Interestingly, research from a study at MIT concluded that the human brain evolved to include a neural circuit dedicated to recognizing song. While many scientists previously believed that singing was a random and spontaneous byproduct of other cognitive functions such as speech, this study rules out that idea and reshapes our evolutionary timeline. We now can estimate that early humans first developed tonal sounds, which evolved into music-like inflections, and eventually led to the invention of language. It is thought that the earliest vocal inflections were improvised and likely a mimicking of noises heard in nature. For example, the sounds of bird calls might have been a strong influence.This discovery grants us a profound depth of meaning, and reshapes how we understand the relationship between humankind and music.
One theory of how singing came to be is through the necessity of mothers crooning to their babies. Unlike other mammals, human babies cannot cling to their mothers and are defenseless on their own. What we know as “song” may have been developed through the need for a mother to put her baby down while she worked, and she would “sing” reassuring sounds to her baby to keep them calmed while they were physically separated. Babies all over the world are spoken to in a “sing-song” voice, and calmed by sung lullabies. The vibration of a mother’s voice can be felt within the womb, making her distinctly recognizable by her child upon arrival to the outside world.
Perhaps for this evolutionary reason, singing is also a powerful natural anti-depressant and tool for stress relief. There are many health benefits to singing such as releasing endorphins in the brain (the “feel good” chemical), releasing stored muscle tension, and lowering cortisol (the stress chemical) in the blood. Further, singing can be used therapeutically to either lament with a relatable song, or distract one from daily stresses.The deep breath-work used to sing can naturally reduce stress, similar to a breathing exercise used to quell anxieties.
Through studying participants in a choir, it has been found that singing strengthens the immune system. Researchers found that after an hour long choir practice, the blood of the choristers was significantly higher in Immunoglobulin A, a kind of protein within the immune system which function as antibodies. Singing frequently results in stronger lungs, a stronger diaphragm, and in better circulation, which is helpful for maintaining physical stamina and overall well-being of both the young and the elderly.
Mental alertness, memory, and concentration are also helped immensely by song, and is used often in helping elders with dementia and Alzheimer maintain stronger cognitive function and memory. It is interesting to note that many people living with dementia and Alzheimer cannot remember much of their personal memories, but will remember a song from their youth if it is played for them. This is a great demonstration of the power of music, and just how deep it goes within the human mind. The same function of song relating to memory can be observed with how many songs are used to teach concepts to children.
One of the most beautiful contributions that song has given humanity is a higher likelihood for survival. Research has found that participating in group musical performance actually elevated the threshold for pain tolerance in the participants. In addition, they found that the participants also felt an increase in positive emotion, which allowed for a feeling of closeness and bonding within the group. Another study found that the larger the group of participants, the greater was the feeling of well-being (endorphin and dopamine release) and social bonding. This finding potentially changes the way we understand human evolution and the shifting from small communal living of early primates, to living in larger, yet cohesive communal groups as seen among humans.
In another series of studies, researchers observed how musical reactivity (how much listeners are affected by music) is tied to group processes, such as feeling positive associations with group members, one’s sense of belonging to a group, bias toward outsiders to your group, and responses to group threat. They found that “musical reactivity is causally related to…basic social motivations” and that “reactivity to music is related to markers of successful group living.” To state it plainly, music makes us identify and affiliate with groups.
Group singing has a direct socio-cultural context and is crucial for shaping group identity from culture to culture. Likewise, the ability for one to act within the world is dependent upon self-identity. Our development of identity is usually created in relation to others, and it is often changing rather than fixed. The three components of the self include the material self (the body and the physical world), the social self and persona (determined and expressed within social relationships), and the spiritual self (found within spiritual or religious experiences). It is here that we can trace the utility of song within all aspects of both ancient and modern life, and see how music is a primordial tool used to transport the individual into the realm of the collective, or, “other,” turning the one into the whole, and vice versa. Through greater identity with the group comes greater harmony and cooperation, and greater chance of the survival of the species.
The experience of singing in a choir, for many, offers an unparalleled experience in communion. Likewise, around the world we share songs while we work in the fields, while we teach and comfort our children, during religious rituals and dance, to express the joys of life, and to lament life’s more trying aspects. In many cultures which are largely untouched by modernization, song is not even thought of as song, but instead as a natural expression of emotion. Just as we use vocal inflection during speech to express emotion, many rural cultures commonly casually use song to signal to others their emotional states.
But what does this mean for cultures who have largely lost the practice of singing in groups? For many of us living in the West (I am currently writing this from the so-called United States), communal singing is something we only do at church, while singing “happy birthday,” or reciting national anthems. Rarely are we afforded the opportunity to explore our vocal and social abilities in relation to the group, and rarely do we know the words to the same songs, nor feel the confidence to sing them publicly! Not to mention the common social implications in the West that suggest that singing is considered “feminine” and not something a man should do — an idea which goes completely against the innate drive for humans to create sound and music . A preschooler does not feel an ounce of self-consciousness while singing in a group. This is our natural, unconditioned state.
Many of us (all over the world) have lost touch with our ancestral songs and practice due to colonialism. What we are typically left with is a collection of popular children’s songs and top 40 radio music. Many of us, for lack of exposure or opportunity for practicing, even believe we can’t carry a tune! With keeping the evolutionary and societal importance of communal singing in mind, what will it take for us to find our voices again? How many individual lives and communities could be transformed through the re-connection with our voices? What has caused so many of us to fear the sounds of our own voices, especially in the presence of others?
I hope some of us who haven’t been afforded this natural gift to humankind will be able to confront this problem by singing more in the shower, singing more in the car, singing more to our children, and if possible, finding different ways to gather and sing in groups, big or small. In a time where many of us in the West are feeling divided and disconnected, allowing ourselves to rediscover the power of collective song could be a revolutionary act. The benefits of this shift towards union and harmony with others could be immeasurable, and lift us from the cultural shackles of alienation, into a feeling of being held by our communities once more.
“I’ve never sung anywhere without giving the people listening to me a chance to join in … Participation. That’s what’s going to save the human race.”
― Pete Seeger
