Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey, brain Stuff, I'm Lauren Vogelbaum, and I think we can all admit that we've pulled a Ferris Bueller once or twice while lathered up in the shower. Everyone sometimes grabs a handy bottle of shampoo as an improv microphone and busts out a tune or two. There's just something completely satisfying about
singing in the shower. Even celebrities do it. According to People magazine, actor Jack Black likes to belt out led Zeppelin and why Cleft Sean digs a little Bruce Springsteen. Everyone's a rock star in the bathroom, whether you have a voice like a Wreatha Franklin or couldn't carry a melody if it had a handle. But have you ever wondered about this phenomenon? Some of us wouldn't sing in public if someone paid us, yet will sing in the shower without embarrassment. Believe it or not, there is a
scientific explanation behind our soapy musical stylings. First, let's look at why we're relaxed enough in the shower to bust into song. Think about it. You don't sing when you're sad unless you're singing the blues. Maybe for many people, our time is the only time there alone all day. You're in a warm, small, safe environment. You're comfortable enough to be in the buff Stress literally washes off of you. When you relax, Your brain releases dopamine, which can give
your creative juice as a jump start. Warm water is rushing over you, and now you're relaxed and feeling good. It turns out that singing makes you feel even better. Singing because of the breathing that you put into it, gets more oxygen into the blood. This gives you better circulation, which in turn improves your body and mood. And because you have to breathe a little deeper to belt out a song, you get some of the same relaxation and
mind clearing benefits as meditation. Another neat thing is that when you're singing, you can't really think about your problems. More stress relief. But the best thing about singing in the shower the acoustics. You couldn't ask for a better sound system than a bathroom. Because bathroom tiles don't absorb sound, your voice bounces back and forth around the room before fading away, and because the shower is a small space. It boosts your voice and even adds a little bass,
making your singing sound more powerful. Sound bouncing also gives your vocal styling a reverb effect, which makes your voice hang in the air longer and evens out variations in your singing. To think of it as a primitive auto tune. It makes you sound better than you normally would, which is a confidence boost. We don't sing in the shower simply because we have that song stuck in our heads,
you know the one. It turns out, we do it for many reasons, stress relief, happiness, great acoustics, or maybe just because we like to hear our own voices. No matter what the reason, keep it up. It's good for you, and if you've never tried it, pick a song and put on your own private concert. Today's episode was written by Debora Ranka and produced by Tyler Playing. For more on this and lots of other rock and topics, visit our home planet how stuff works dot com. Brain Stuff
is production of iHeart Radio. For more podcasts for my heart Radio, visit the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.