Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff,
Speaker 1: I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and I think we can all admit
Speaker 1: that we've pulled a Ferris Bueller once or twice while
Speaker 1: lathered up in the shower. Everyone sometimes grabs a handy
Speaker 1: bottle of shampoo as an improv microphone and busts out
Speaker 1: a tune or two. There's just something completely satisfying about
Speaker 1: singing in the shower. Even celebrities do it. According to
Speaker 1: People magazine, actor Jack Black likes to belt out led
Speaker 1: Zeppelin and why Cleft Sean digs a little Bruce Springsteen.
Speaker 1: Everyone's a rock star in the bathroom, whether you have
Speaker 1: a voice like a Wreatha Franklin or couldn't carry a
Speaker 1: melody if it had a handle. But have you ever
Speaker 1: wondered about this phenomenon? Some of us wouldn't sing in
Speaker 1: public if someone paid us, yet will sing in the
Speaker 1: shower without embarrassment. Believe it or not, there is a
Speaker 1: scientific explanation behind our soapy musical stylings. First, let's look
Speaker 1: at why we're relaxed enough in the shower to bust
Speaker 1: into song. Think about it. You don't sing when you're
Speaker 1: sad unless you're singing the blues. Maybe for many people,
Speaker 1: our time is the only time there alone all day.
Speaker 1: You're in a warm, small, safe environment. You're comfortable enough
Speaker 1: to be in the buff Stress literally washes off of you.
Speaker 1: When you relax, Your brain releases dopamine, which can give
Speaker 1: your creative juice as a jump start. Warm water is
Speaker 1: rushing over you, and now you're relaxed and feeling good.
Speaker 1: It turns out that singing makes you feel even better.
Speaker 1: Singing because of the breathing that you put into it,
Speaker 1: gets more oxygen into the blood. This gives you better circulation,
Speaker 1: which in turn improves your body and mood. And because
Speaker 1: you have to breathe a little deeper to belt out
Speaker 1: a song, you get some of the same relaxation and
Speaker 1: mind clearing benefits as meditation. Another neat thing is that
Speaker 1: when you're singing, you can't really think about your problems.
Speaker 1: More stress relief. But the best thing about singing in
Speaker 1: the shower the acoustics. You couldn't ask for a better
Speaker 1: sound system than a bathroom. Because bathroom tiles don't absorb sound,
Speaker 1: your voice bounces back and forth around the room before
Speaker 1: fading away, and because the shower is a small space.
Speaker 1: It boosts your voice and even adds a little bass,
Speaker 1: making your singing sound more powerful. Sound bouncing also gives
Speaker 1: your vocal styling a reverb effect, which makes your voice
Speaker 1: hang in the air longer and evens out variations in
Speaker 1: your singing. To think of it as a primitive auto tune.
Speaker 1: It makes you sound better than you normally would, which
Speaker 1: is a confidence boost. We don't sing in the shower
Speaker 1: simply because we have that song stuck in our heads,
Speaker 1: you know the one. It turns out, we do it
Speaker 1: for many reasons, stress relief, happiness, great acoustics, or maybe
Speaker 1: just because we like to hear our own voices. No
Speaker 1: matter what the reason, keep it up. It's good for you,
Speaker 1: and if you've never tried it, pick a song and
Speaker 1: put on your own private concert. Today's episode was written
Speaker 1: by Debora Ranka and produced by Tyler Playing. For more
Speaker 1: on this and lots of other rock and topics, visit
Speaker 1: our home planet how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff
Speaker 1: is production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts for my
Speaker 1: heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
Speaker 1: wherever you listen to your favorite shows.