Sing in the Car

On a long road trip, when your podcasts start sounding bland, your book on tape isn’t making sense any more, or you have nothing left to talk about with you shotgun rider, what do you do?  I imagine you start listening to music, right?

Even on short drives, and I can speak for myself, what I do while I’m driving really depends on my mood.  Sometimes I decide to crank up the volume and sing my heart out! I was doing that today on my way home from a visit, and I wanted to share some of the benefits of doing this.

First, music and specifically singing is a great way to express emotion. So, if you are sad and need to get it out your system, or happy and want to celebrate, singing is a great way to handle your emotion, releasing positive neurotransmitters and endorphins in the process.

On top of that, the nature of singing allows for quick deep inhales and long exhales, simulating yoga breathing and inducing similar effects. And some studies even suggest that people have a longer life expectancy when they sing often. 

But, the larger point I want to bring up, is we’ve all caught someone in the car next to us watching us sing wholeheartedly. As a response, we get embarrassed, self-conscious, and temper our singing. I am guilty of it too, but it’s ridiculous that a random stranger can dictate our behavior and affect us that strongly. I think we can make a statement to ourselves to sing louder, overcome that judgment, and continue reaping the benefits of singing in the car!