A recent study has proved that music really is good for you, especially if you break into song. According to findings published in the Journal of the Royal Society for the Promotion of Health, people who sing in harmony regularly are happier and healthier.

Members of a university choir were questioned, and 93 per cent said that singing gave them a positive attitude. 89 per cent felt happier, 79 per cent said their stress levels were reduced and 78 per cent felt calmer. In the same survey 74 per cent said they were more energetic and 76 per cent felt more alert and awake.

Other studies have revealed a whole range of benefits. Singing has been shown to boost the immune system, improve cognitive function, alleviate depression, lower stress and release endorphins (the feel-good hormones). A joint Harvard and Yale survey found that singers lived longer, had a healthier heart and a better state of mind.

One of the keys may be that total absorption in music makes you switch off to everything else, and this promotes a heightened state of wellbeing. Pyschologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi describes it as “flow” - when you lose track of the outside world and focus on doing something really well.

The same feeling is achieved by others who become totally immersed in what they’re doing, whilst going for a goal. It happens to climbers, athletes and artists, but choral singers have an added advantage - the resonance of harmony. Some people say it’s like the whole body tingling, and when you’re in perfect harmony with the others in the choir, it’s a glorious feeling of being part of a greater whole.