Why We Sing: More Than Just a Church Thing
The Practice of Singing Together
We’re in a little series on Christian practice right now—things like why we sing when we gather for worship. But as I started preparing, I found myself going further back, asking: Where does singing even come from? Why do humans sing at all?
As it turns out, the story is fascinating. And honestly, I came away a bit concerned that in modern Western cultures like ours here in Canada, we might be singing together less than at any point in human history. That’s a problem, because even if, like me, you’re not a great singer, communal singing is worth recovering. Whether you attend church or not, you might want to gather some friends and just sing.
Is Singing Just "Auditory Cheesecake"?
Steven Pinker, the psychologist and author, once described singing as "auditory cheesecake" —a sweet byproduct of more important evolutionary developments, like speech. In his view, we learned to communicate with words, and only later discovered we could stretch those sounds into song.
But not everyone agrees. Charles Darwin once proposed the opposite: that speech may have evolved from earlier musical forms, like mating calls. Think birdsong, but for humans. Today, evolutionary psychologists tend to think it’s more complex than either theory alone. What’s clear is that singing has adaptive benefits. It can build social cohesion, embed collective memory, and even strengthen our health.
The Science of Singing
Here’s what we know:
Dopamine and endorphins are released when our brains hear familiar rhythms.
Oxytocin, the chemical linked to love and bonding, is produced when we sing together.
Songs carried cultural memory long before writing existed.
Infants respond more to song than speech.
People with neurological disorders often connect with music in ways that bypass damaged pathways.
And the benefits don’t stop there. Singing reduces cortisol (stress hormone) levels, decreases feelings of loneliness, and measurably boosts self-esteem—even if you’re just belting out a tune alone in the shower.
Song in Our Memory
Think about it: when you alphabetize something, do you still sing the ABCs? I’m not the only 47-year-old who does that, right? Songs get deep into our brains in ways ordinary speech doesn’t. That’s why a five-year-old can sing every word of Frozen for months on end (trust me, I know), and why you can recall childhood camp songs decades later.
Why We Should Sing More
We may never pinpoint exactly why humans began to sing. But the evidence is overwhelming: it’s good for our mental health, it draws us closer to each other, and it helps us remember what matters most. If that’s true, then maybe one of the simplest, most human things we can do today is to sing more often—together.
