Singing, wellbeing & health: robust critique in evidence reviews

ResearchWorks - Guildhall School of Music & Drama

Stephen Clift on the limitations and implications of the highly-cited study by Gene Cohen and colleagues on singing, wellbeing and health

In a series of previous publications I have argued that a more robust approach is needed in evidence reviews of research on wellbeing and health benefits of engagement in creative arts activities. These papers have focused in turn on general scoping reviews of the arts and health literature commissioned by the World Health Organisation and the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, and on primary research trials on art, music and dance therapy and their treatment in subsequent evidence reviews, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. In this presentation, I take as a starting point a study by Gene Cohen and colleagues on singing, wellbeing and health, which is highly cited in the arts and health literature. I consider the treatment of the findings from this study in ten subsequent evidence reviews and demonstrate a lack of critical scrutiny in all reviews, including meticulous systematic reviews. I then highlight serious limitations in the Cohen et al. research and show that it provides no credible scientific evidence that singing had wellbeing and health benefits for the participants in the study. Implications and recommendations from this work will be discussed.Speaker: Stephen Clift, BA, PhDStephen Clift is Professor Emeritus, Canterbury Christ Church University, and former Director of the Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health. He is a Visiting Professor in the International Centre for Community Music, York St John University and the School of Music, University of Leeds. Stephen has worked in the field of health promotion and public health for over thirty years, and has made contributions to research, practice and training on HIV/AIDS prevention and sex education, international travel and health, and the health promoting school in Europe. Since 2000 he has pursued research in arts and heath and particularly the potential value of group singing for health and wellbeing. Stephen was one of the founding editors of Arts &amp; Health: An international journal for research, policy and practice. He is joint editor with Professor Paul Camic of the Oxford Textbook of Creative Arts, Health and Wellbeing.What is ResearchWorks?The Guildhall School’s ResearchWorks is a programme of events centred around the School’s research activity, bringing together staff, students and guests of international standing. We run regular events throughout the term intended to share the innovative research findings of the school and its guests with students, staff and the public.Guildhall School of Music &amp; Drama Privacy PolicyOnce you have registered, the Guildhall School will handle your data in accordance with its privacy policy and Enterprise, Knowledge Exchange and Research Events privacy notice.

Singing, wellbeing & health: robust critique in evidence reviews

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