Choir versus Solo Singing: Effects on Mood, and Salivary Oxytocin and Cortisol Concentrations

T Moritz Schladt, Gregory C Nordmann, Roman Emilius, Brigitte M Kudielka, Trynke R de Jong, Inga D Neumann, T Moritz Schladt, Gregory C Nordmann, Roman Emilius, Brigitte M Kudielka, Trynke R de Jong, Inga D Neumann

Abstract

The quantification of salivary oxytocin (OXT) concentrations emerges as a helpful tool to assess peripheral OXT secretion at baseline and after various challenges in healthy and clinical populations. Both positive social interactions and stress are known to induce OXT secretion, but the relative influence of either of these triggers is not well delineated. Choir singing is an activity known to improve mood and to induce feelings of social closeness, and may therefore be used to investigate the effects of positive social experiences on OXT system activity. We quantified mood and salivary OXT and cortisol (CORT) concentrations before, during, and after both choir and solo singing performed in a randomized order in the same participants (repeated measures). Happiness was increased, and worry and sadness as well as salivary CORT concentrations were reduced, after both choir and solo singing. Surprisingly, salivary OXT concentrations were significantly reduced after choir singing, but did not change in response to solo singing. Salivary OXT concentrations showed high intra-individual stability, whereas salivary CORT concentrations fluctuated between days within participants. The present data indicate that the social experience of choir singing does not induce peripheral OXT secretion, as indicated by unchanged salivary OXT levels. Rather, the reduction of stress/arousal experienced during choir singing may lead to an inhibition of peripheral OXT secretion. These data are important for the interpretation of future reports on salivary OXT concentrations, and emphasize the need to strictly control for stress/arousal when designing similar experiments.

Keywords: choir singing; cortisol; mood; oxytocin; saliva.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Experimental timeline for the collection of saliva samples. Basal samples (B1 and B2) were collected after 10 and 30 min of resting. Singing samples (S1 and S2) were collected after 10 and 20 min of singing. One post-singing sample (P) was collected 20 min after cessation of singing. The timeline was identical for the solo and choir conditions.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Mood states measured with the State and Trait Anxiety and Depression Inventory (STADI)-state before (“pre”) and after (“post”) 20 min of choir or solo singing, respectively. *p < 0.05 between corresponding choir and solo values. #p < 0.05 between corresponding pre and post values.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Relative change in (A) salivary oxytocin (OXT) concentrations (n = 38) and (B) salivary cortisol (CORT) concentrations (n = 17) in two basal samples (B1, B2), two singing samples (S1, S2) and one post-singing sample (P) collected before, during and after 20 min of choir or solo singing, calculated as percentage of baseline (= mean of B1 + B2 values). Inserts depict absolute concentrations of OXT and CORT in B1 samples of female (F) and male (M) participants. *p < 0.05 between corresponding choir and solo values. a/b/cp < 0.05 versus corresponding aB1, bB2, or cS1 values.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Correlations between (A) basal OXT concentrations and (B) basal CORT concentrations measured in saliva sampled from the same subjects at two different days, with 2–5 days separating the two samples. Black markers represent female subjects; gray markers represent male subjects.

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