The benefits of participation in a choir and an exercise group on older adults’ wellbeing in a naturalistic setting

As populations age, it is critical to understand how psycho-social wellbeing supports successful ageing. The health sector is increasingly asking how best to improve social connection and affective state because of their positive influence on overall health. Choral participation has been proposed as a particularly effective way to improve socio-emotional wellbeing, due to benefits of music exposure, social opportunities, and the act of singing. It may be, however, that improvements in wellbeing are also dependent on individual attitudes towards participation, including preference, motivation, and exercising agency. There is a need for studies that account for the influence of choice and preference as they may predict benefits for wellbeing. Findings are presented here from a quasi-experimental study exploring whether choral participation yields greater benefits for wellbeing in the long term (seven months) than does participation in an exercise group that shares some of the nonspecific characteristics of choirs such as social interaction and exposure to music. Emotional wellbeing increased for both groups, while there was a small but significant decrease in mental wellbeing for both groups between the first and second time points; no other statistically significant changes were observed. Analysis of qualitative data indicated that members of choirs found the act of singing to be intrinsically rewarding, while members of exercise groups relied instead on the benefits of social interaction to keep them committed to an exercise regime; however, themes such as the importance of social connection, confidence, improved mental and emotional state, and overall improved wellbeing were common to both groups. Effects on the wellbeing of the members of the two kinds of group did not differ significantly despite differences in their self-reported motivation for joining and participating. No changes were observed in measures of social connection or empathy across the length of the study.