https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2025/04/virtual-singing-brings-connection-and-joy-to-isolated-older-adults-study-finds/ Skip to main content Northwestern University * For Journalists Northwestern Now * Northwestern in the News * All Stories * Browse Topics Menu * Research & Innovation + Science & Technology o Artificial Intelligence o Climate o Space o Wearable Technology o View all Science & Technology + Business, Media & Politics o Business o Economics o Media o Politics o View all Business, Media & Politics + Health & Medicine o Aging o Brain o Cancer o Global Health o View all Health & Medicine + View all Research & Innovation * Arts & Culture + Block Museum + Music + Theatre + View all Arts & Culture * Social Impact + Community Engagement + Global + Inequality + View all Social Impact * Campus & Community + Campus Life o Academics o Commencement o Student Experience o View all Campus Life + Voices o Books o Expert Viewpoint o Student Voices o View all Voices + Announcements & News o Appointments o Campus Safety o Community Engagement o Facilities o Faculty Accolades o Gifts o Grants o President Michael Schill o Provost o University News o View all Announcements & News + View all Campus & Community * Northwestern in the News * All Stories * Browse Topics * For Journalists Search Search this site [ ] Search * Research & Innovation + Science & TechnologyView all o Artificial Intelligence o Climate o Space o Wearable Technology Business, Media & PoliticsView all o Business o Economics o Media o Politics Health & MedicineView all o Aging o Brain o Cancer o Global Health All Research & Innovation * Arts & Culture + o Block Museum o Music o Theatre All Arts & Culture * Social Impact + o Community Engagement o Global o Inequality All Social Impact * Campus & Community + Campus LifeView all o Academics o Commencement o Student Experience VoicesView all o Books o Expert Viewpoint o Student Voices Announcements & NewsView all o Appointments o Campus Safety o Community Engagement o Facilities o Faculty Accolades o Gifts o Grants o President Michael Schill o Provost o University News All Campus & Community * Click or hit Enter to open search menu Search this site [ ] Search Trending Topics: Expert Viewpoint Global Isolated older adults find joy and connection through virtual singing Those with neurocognitive disorders like dementia especially benefit April 22, 2025 | By Kristin Samuelson Members of the Good Memories Choir, which includes patients with early-stage memory loss and their care partners singing together. The Northwestern Medicine study finds virtual group singing can be an effective tool for promoting well-being and social connection during isolation -- including for those with dementia. * Aging * Brain * Feinberg School of Medicine * Mental Health * Music American philosopher and psychologist William James once said, "I don't sing because I'm happy. I'm happy because I sing." A new Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine study finds that, even when singing with others in a virtual setting, the benefits abound. In collaboration with Illinois-based Sounds Good Choir, the study assessed the feasibility of virtual group singing for adults over 55 -- including those with neurocognitive disorders like dementia -- during the COVID-19 pandemic when older adults were experiencing health declines due to isolation. It found virtual group singing can be an effective tool for promoting well-being and social connection during isolation. "Beyond the pandemic, the study suggests virtual singing could benefit individuals in rural areas, those with mobility limitations or those experiencing social anxiety," said principal investigator Dr. Borna Bonakdarpour, director of the Northwestern Music and Medicine Program, associate professor of neurology at Feinberg and a physician with the Mesulam Center for Cognitive Neurology and Alzheimer's Disease. "We found virtual group singing could provide emotional, cognitive and social support through accessible, engaging music programs for diverse aging populations." For people with neurocognitive disorders music and singing can offer alternative ways of expression. Singing engages diverse neurophysiological processes by activating a neural network involved in respiratory control, emotional regulation and motor control, Bonakdarpour said. Lung capacity, posture and overall physical health often improve through the practice of singing. And choral singing has been increasingly recognized as a therapeutic activity for both cognitively healthy older adults and individuals with dementia and neurocognitive disorders. For people with neurocognitive disorders -- who frequently struggle with verbal communication -- music and singing can offer alternative ways to express themselves, much like we see in individuals with aphasia," Bonakdarpour said. "Singing familiar songs can help facilitate communication and create a comfortable, low-pressure environment for interaction and sharing." Lower anxiety, and higher levels of connection Previous research has focused on one group of singers and had fewer participants compared to this study, which compared two different group-singing interventions: a sing-along series with 52 weekly sessions of familiar music and a structured choir with rehearsals leading to a virtual concert. Of the 176 individuals surveyed, responses revealed high satisfaction, particularly in areas like anxiety reduction, social connection and physical well-being. The sing-alongs helped evoke emotional resonance through positive memories, while choir participation promoted intellectual engagement. [choir1540_] A Good Memories performance by members of the Sounds Good Choir in Buchanan Chapel at Fourth Presbyterian Church in Chicago. The choir is the Chicago area's largest no-audition choral program for adults over 55. The overall tone of the responses was overwhelmingly positive, with 86.9% of responses mentioning positive impacts on well-being as a result of participation. In at least 5% of free responses, respondents mentioned the following themes: emotional well-being (36%); social well-being (31%); intellectual well-being (18%); sense of normalcy or structure (12%); spiritual well-being (11%); physical well-being (7%); and connection to the past (5%). "Participants in the group choir during the pandemic consistently described the activity as providing a sense of normalcy amid widespread disruption -- a theme that emerged prominently and merits further investigation," Bonakdarpour said. "For individuals living with dementia, irrespective of external circumstances, the erosion of normalcy profoundly impacts their sense of self and contributes to anxiety. This suggests that such interventions may help restore a feeling of normalcy, supporting psychological well-being and offering a means of reconnecting with a stable sense of self." * Listen to a virtual concert from spring 2020 > The next step in the research will be a nationwide trial funded by the National Institutes of Health Music Dementia Research Network. Other Northwestern authors include Clara Takarabe, who co-directs the Northwestern Music and Medicine Program with Bonakdarpour; and Elena Barbieri, research assistant professor of physical medicine and rehabilitation at Feinberg. Sandy and Jonathan Miller, directors of the Sounds Good Choir, are co-authors on the study. Published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, the study was funded by the Sounds Good Choir. For Journalists: Get the news release, media contacts and press kit Editor's Picks Measles outbreak The measles 'is not a benign disease' March 5, 2025 Steve Carell, award-winning actor, will be Northwestern's commencement speaker February 13, 2025 Dance Marathon raises nearly $200,000 April 10, 2025 Related Stories prison Northwestern study yields insights on improving outcomes for incarcerated youth April 16, 2025 When it comes to therapy sessions, sometimes just one can help February 20, 2025 Wonder what others are thinking? 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