WEBVTT - Why Do We Sing in the Shower?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff from How Stuff Works. Hey, brain Stuff,

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Lauren vogel Bomb, and I think we can all

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<v Speaker 1>admit that we've pulled a Ferris Bueller once or twice

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<v Speaker 1>while lathered up in the shower. Everyone sometimes grabs a

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<v Speaker 1>handy bottle of shampoo as an improv microphone and busts

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<v Speaker 1>out a tune or two. There's just something completely satisfying

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<v Speaker 1>about singing in the shower. Even celebrities do it. According

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<v Speaker 1>to People magazine, actor Jack Black likes to belt out

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<v Speaker 1>led Zeppelin and why Cleff Sean digs a little Bruce Springsteen.

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<v Speaker 1>Everyone's a rock star in the bathroom, whether you have

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<v Speaker 1>a voice like a Wreatha Franklin or couldn't carry a

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<v Speaker 1>melody if it had a handle. But have you ever

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<v Speaker 1>wondered about this phenomenon? Some of us wouldn't sing in

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<v Speaker 1>public if someone paid us, yet will sing in the

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<v Speaker 1>shower without embarrassment. Believe it or not, there is a

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<v Speaker 1>scientific explanation behind our soapy musical stylings. First, let's look

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<v Speaker 1>at why we're relaxed enough in the shower to bust

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<v Speaker 1>into song. Think about it. You don't sing when you're sad,

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<v Speaker 1>unless you're singing the blues. Maybe for many people, our

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<v Speaker 1>time is the only time there alone all day. You're

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<v Speaker 1>in a warm, small, safe environment. You're comfortable enough to

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<v Speaker 1>be in the buff Stress literally washes off of you.

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<v Speaker 1>When you relax. Your brain releases dopamine, which can give

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<v Speaker 1>your creative juice as a jump start. Warm water is

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<v Speaker 1>rushing over you, and now you're relaxed and feeling good.

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<v Speaker 1>It turns out that singing makes you feel even better.

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<v Speaker 1>Singing because of the breathing that you put into it,

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<v Speaker 1>gets more oxygen into the blood. This gives you better circulation,

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<v Speaker 1>which in turn improves your body and mood. And because

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<v Speaker 1>you have to breathe a little deeper to belt out

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<v Speaker 1>a song, you get some of the same relaxation and

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<v Speaker 1>mind clearing benefits as meditation. Another neat thing is that

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<v Speaker 1>when you're singing, you can't really think about your problems.

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<v Speaker 1>More stress relief. But the best thing about singing in

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<v Speaker 1>the shower the acoustics. You couldn't ask for a better

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<v Speaker 1>sound system than a bathroom. Because bathroom tiles don't absorb sound,

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<v Speaker 1>your voice bounces back and forth around the room before

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<v Speaker 1>fading away, and because the shower is a small space.

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<v Speaker 1>It boosts your voice and even adds a little bass,

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<v Speaker 1>making your singing sound more powerful. Sound bouncing also gives

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<v Speaker 1>your vocal styling a reverb effect, which makes your voice

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<v Speaker 1>hang in the air longer and evens out variations and

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<v Speaker 1>your singing. To think of it as a primitive auto tune.

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<v Speaker 1>It makes you sound better than you normally would, which

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<v Speaker 1>is a confidence boost. We don't sing in the shower

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<v Speaker 1>simply because we have that song stuck in our heads,

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<v Speaker 1>you know the one. It turns out, we do it

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<v Speaker 1>for many reasons, stress relief, happiness, great acoustics, or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>just because we like to hear our own voices. No

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<v Speaker 1>matter what the reason, keep it up. It's good for

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<v Speaker 1>you and if you've never tried to pick a song

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<v Speaker 1>and put on your own private concert. Today's episode was

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<v Speaker 1>written by Debora Ranka and produced by Tyler Clang. For

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<v Speaker 1>more on this and lots of other rock and topics,

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<v Speaker 1>visit our home planet, how Stuff Works dot com.