Singing Your Heart Out: Here’s a Therapist’s Take On The Benefits of Karaoke

Can Karaoke Help Your Mental Health? 

With so many different ways to better ourselves mentally, we spoke with one therapist who says that singing may be the answer!

It should come as no surprise that karaoke brings joy into people’s lives, but there may be more to it than that. Besides being a source of fun, there are some mental health benefits that can come right along with it. We spoke with Jennifer Barber, LCSW, an independent licensed Clinical Therapist in New Jersey, who spoke with us about some of the beneficial effects that karaoke can have on the mind, body, and spirit.

When it comes to singing karaoke, what are some of the mental health benefits? 

One of the main things would be that it could be a social activity. You get to go out with friends, be social and have fun, and if you’re kind of in a blah mood, that always helps boost things. It’s also a good way of venting, in a way. If you have something that’s been weighing you down and you want to go to karaoke with some friends and belt out a sad song, it’s a way to get that out.

At the same time, let’s say you try your hand at some Whitney Houston or something. That deep breathing is a tool that we use in therapy all the time. You can definitely reduce cortisol and stress by taking those really big, deep breaths. 

So if one of your clients has social anxiety, but you think that karaoke might be good for them, how would you suggest that to someone who is afraid of those kinds of group settings?

I think with technology now, there are karaoke apps to practice with. There’s Karaoke YouTube,

or even just the regular old singing in your car or singing in the shower. I think any person that you talk to who likes music in general—they know what songs are their happy songs, they know what songs are their sad songs when they need a good cry. So whether you’re sitting in the car or in the shower or with some close friends, you’ll be singing. I know are also even apps, where you can follow along with the pitch and the rhythm of the song—which in a way, is practicing mindfulness, because you have to be mindful about how you’re singing it and you have to be present. This would be good if somebody’s feeling anxious. I think engaging in any of those different possibilities is a good way to do it if you’re not ready to do it in front of a crowd yet. There are also karaoke places, though, where you can have a private room with friends, so it’s not a bar full of strangers. That would definitely make it easier to go out there and sing if you’re anxious about it.

Under what conditions would you want to suggest karaoke to a client?

I think it’s one of those things, where if somebody is better with music, or likes music, or likes singing and needs that self-expression. Maybe writing isn’t their thing; I always say to go for a drive and belt out your favorite songs. Or, you know, maybe go to a karaoke bar. It’s usually for the people who I know really love music. Like, if somebody said, “Oh, I’m a great writer,” I would say, “Hey, why don’t you try your hand at poetry.” Right? If you have some songs that really hit home—whether it’s a positive song or a negative song or a more emotional song—being able to sit and engage in that would be helpful.  Also, if singing is something that you really like and you happen to be great at it, going out into a public space, or a space where there are other people around helps boost your self-confidence and overcome shyness. Some people sometimes go to these places and are like, “Okay, well, nobody knows me here. Nobody will judge.” And they’ll go and hit one of their best notes. Everyone’s applauding and 

that feels absolutely amazing, which is a giant dopamine boost for your mood.