We were discussing music in worship in adult class, and one of us, perhaps me, noted that memory for music is powerful, and stored in a different place in the brain. Someone else, again maybe me, pointed out that the church has had 2000 years of music in worship, it is nearly always present, and it usually starts off a worship service or event. Not all religions do this, though many do. Much is made of meditation's ability to put people into a different mental space in preparation, and I think that is true. Fans of Eastern religions have been very excited that scientists have been able to detect subtle changes in the neurology when we meditate.
I'm betting it's not a quarter of the changes you can see when people sing out loud. It is the most logical explanation for why it is there in the first place, that it can move you from your everyday worries to at least Somewhere Else, and once you are moving it is likely easier that you can move in a God-direction. As an added bonus, it will continue to work even if your brain isn't very good, has been injured, or is deteriorating.
Are you depressed, anxious, discouraged? Drag yourself to worship and sing out loud. It will help.
Additionally, Tolkien advised one of his sons in a letter to take communion, "every day if you can, in an unattractive church with a rector who has no charisma, so that the power of the sacrament alone can sustain you." He had reportedly not noticed at first that this was also a feature of lembas wafers, that they grew in efficacy the longer one relied on them alone, but agreed immediately that the Eucharist must have been an influence on him when someone asked, and kept that as an explanation.
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Some dozen years ago or so I read a history of technology monograph on the development of sound recording. I don't remember much of the argument, but I do remember the author claiming that most Americans could sing and / or play an instrument in the 19th century and did so regularly, but that the advent of radio and then recording technology that allowed most families to have recorded music in their homes led to a decline in musical ability in the 20th century.
Now I wonder what effects that has had on us as both individuals and as a population.
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