I’ve always been amazed at how much effort, time, and money go into the music of these devotionals. People train for years to reach the proficiency needed to perform at this level and then they give that as an act of service to help us align our minds to the Spirit through the combination of words and music.
I don’t know about you, but I think in songs. Maybe it's because my father sang us to sleep every night. Maybe it's because my mother had a song for every chore and daily task. Maybe it's from some other cause altogether, but I would love it if the world really was a musical. My colleagues know that at any moment, I might break out in song. They are very patient with me.
My educational background is in health psychology, and I have loved learning about how the body, mind, and spirit react to this central part of my life—singing.
I’ll talk about how we spiritually react to and with singing in a moment, but what are some of the ways we physically activate to and with singing?
Using imaging tools, scientists have been able to “look” inside people’s brains to see which areas are being used when they do different tasks. What researchers are discovering is that it takes all of the major structures of the brain to hear, recognize, and make music. [1] Let’s consider some of them:
- The auditory cortex (in the temporal lobe) is where you process the sound you hear. [2]
- The prefrontal (right behind your forehead) and parietal (top back of your head) cortices are where you recognize pitch and harmony. [3]
- The motor cortex (which is in your frontal lobe) helps you control your vocal cords, helping you make different pitches as you talk and sing. [4] The motor cortex is also linked to rhythm and meter. [5] [6]
- The basal ganglia (deep in the brain in the limbic system) helps you perceive the beat. [7]
- The hippocampus (also part of the limbic system) is tied to your memories with music. [8]
- The amygdala (also part of the limbic system) is the area of the brain that is active when you are feeling emotions associated with music. [9]
Songs can be deeply tied to memories, emotion, and even physical abilities. Researchers have found that some individuals with Parkinson’s who have trouble moving can move smoothly when listening to songs that they like [10] and that some patients with severe Alzheimer's can remember song lyrics and that music can help them remember other “more important” information. [11]
I’m sure you all know by now that we are in the process of getting a new hymn book. As powerful as music can clearly be, it is important to select hymns with care. One of the criteria for choosing the new hymns to go in the new hymn book was: Does the hymn unify members throughout the church? [12]
A few years ago, I was working in a country and city I had never been to before. Everything in my environment was new and foreign. I got lost on my way to church, driving through pouring rain on what was the wrong side of the road for me, and ended up getting to the church house as the congregation was singing the closing hymn. What I heard coming from the building as I stepped out of the car into the rain were the voices of the congregation singing “We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.” Suddenly this congregation became dear to me. We were no longer strangers, but sisters and brothers in Christ. Hymn singing has the power—if we all allow it—to unify people of faith all around the world!
My grandparents were not members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but were from different Christian faith traditions from me and from each other. They were wonderful people who loved the Lord and brought me to church with them when I spent the summers with them. That meant that as a child, I was triple blessed with the hymns of three faiths! I know a LOT of ways to sing about Jesus.
It is so fun for me to see some of those songs from my childhood in our new hymn book! Hymns like: “It Is Well with My Soul,” “Amazing Grace,” “My Shepherd Will Supply My Need.” They connect with my memories, my childhood, my faith, my love for my grandparents, my love for Jesus Christ, my heart, my mind, and my spirit, [which] are deeply engaged by these songs.
I can’t wait to have “new-to-me” hymns from all over the world in this new hymnbook, unifying us through music.
Elder Dale G. Renlund, in his message on the new hymns, said that “Music is the language of the Spirit.” [13] I have experienced that. And I bet you have, too. I have learned that hymns can bring messages from the Spirit that cannot be learned in other ways.
The Lord tells the saints in Doctrine and Covenants 25:12, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.” [14]
Sometimes those blessings that are answered on our heads are healing—spiritual, emotional, or physical—that come from and through music.
I was in a ward where, for about a year, we sang the same sacrament hymn every week. Every. Week.
Our organist was just learning how to play when she was called as the ward organist, and in a conversation with her, she told me that she was really struggling with the sacrament hymns. She could practice and learn a whole bunch of other hymns every week, but when it came to the sacrament hymns, she was stuck with only one she felt confident enough to play in our church service. And so we sang the same sacrament hymn. Every Sunday. For a year.
I didn’t tell her at the time but having her play the same hymn every week was a real blessing for me. I was struggling to love some family members who thought and acted differently from me. Every week at sacrament, we would sing Hymn 172, where the second verse starts: “Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving; / Teach us tolerance and love.” [15] I needed to sing that hymn so the Spirit could teach and reteach me tolerance, love, and forgiveness every week. And every week, little by little, I learned to grow, change, repent, and forgive so I could love my family.
Hymns have helped me in other ways, too. There have been times when I have had questions about things I’ve read in the scriptures or heard at Church or from well-meaning teachers. There have been times when it has been hard to hold onto contraries long enough to prove them true. Often, it has been a hymn that answers, soothes, or helps me patiently wait on the Lord for understanding. Maybe hymns have done that for you, too. One that has frequently helped me is “Be Still, My Soul”: “Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side … Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake; / All now mysterious shall be bright at last.” [16]
Every time I sing that hymn, I feel it comfort me and reassure me; and the Spirit confirms to me that all now mysterious really will be bright at last.
There are times when joining with my congregation feels really hard. I am shy, and sometimes, I struggle with social anxiety. Sometimes, the hardest place for me to be on a Sunday is with a group of women I don’t know very well. I say that as someone who loves the Relief Society and has a testimony of its mission. I have found that when those times hit, I am often blessed with being called to be the primary chorister, where I can sing my prayers and praises to the Lord with the children of my ward. Like Sister Tracy Y. Browning taught in the most recent General Conference, the Spirit has taught me through primary songs. I, too, have had “primary music [carry] a holy influence in my life and have lifted my soul, taught me eternal truths, and drawn me nearer to the Savior and to His gospel.” [17] I could be the sister whom Sister Browning shared about, the one who credited Primary music with “accelerating her continued conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ.” [18]
Did I mention I’ve been the primary chorister in five different wards? And I’m so grateful for those opportunities. Hymns can teach us through the Spirit in ways that nothing else can.
Let’s circle back to pull this all together. The scriptures teach that “the spirit and the body are the soul of man,” [19] and that after this life, we will long for the resurrection because we will feel keenly the separation of our spirits and our bodies. [20] We need these bodies. Our spirits learn and grow through this physical experience. There’s incredible beauty in a physiological system that works in harmony with our spirit as it informs and enriches our mortal, embodied experience.
We’ve talked about how the Spirit can touch us as we sing hymns; likewise, our body also reacts to singing. Singing can move us to tears; singing can change our heart rate; singing can bring us to our feet, make us want to clap, and move us to rejoice.
What physiologic system prompts responses throughout our bodies when we sing? In the middle of the brain, there are a couple of little structures called the pituitary and hypothalamus. These glands release chemical messengers in the body called hormones. We aren’t talking about the hormones that might make a roommate hard to deal with or could make some “bullet bike” drivers a little much—not those hormones. The chemical messengers from the brain we are going to talk about are those that can influence mood.
And you may have guessed it: Singing boosts the “happy hormones!” Your generation seems really savvy about the happy hormones, so let's just very briefly review.
Let’s start with dopamine (sometimes called the reward hormone)—most of you have probably heard about “chasing a dopamine hit.” Next time you’re ready to “brain rot” or “doom scroll,” put your phone down and go sing instead—singing releases dopamine. [21]
Now, let's look at serotonin. Serotonin promotes feelings of well-being, happiness, and contentment. It also helps promote learning and memory. And it’s released when you sing. [22] We’re headed into midterm season—have you considered singing your studies? Feel better, and prepare for your exams at the same time!
Next up: Endorphins! Endorphins are the body’s natural painkillers and are associated with stress reduction, improved self-confidence, and improved immune function. They can be released with physical exercise, but also with music. [23] I don’t mind exercise, but why not boost it with some good music?
Finally, singing releases oxytocin! Oxytocin is associated with the feeling of connection to others. Oxytocin is sometimes called the “tend and defend” hormone [24] because it increases prosocial feelings and behaviors in groups. It also increases feelings of empathy. [25]
Connection and empathy sound like a precursor of peacemaking to me. In his latest conference talk, Elder Gary E. Stevenson reminded us of words from living prophets of the Restoration: “Peacemakers needed.” Disagree without being disagreeable. Replace contention and pride with forgiveness and love. Build bridges of cooperation and understanding, not walls of prejudice or segregation. And the same promise: “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” [26]
Could singing our new hymns help us build bridges of empathy, connection, and peace to each other? I believe it can. Do you remember how you felt a few weeks ago when the collegiate singers sang “This Little Light of Mine”? We all spontaneously cheered! A bridge was built between us! That exultant, joyful feeling brought on by that music that we experienced together reminded me of the inspired words written for the dedication of the Kirtland Temple: “We’ll sing and we’ll shout with the armies of heaven.” [27] That incredible performance by the Collegiate Singers! I’ve watched that several times since then, and I still get a rush of joy and delight as I sing along!
What about when we sing as a group—like those Collegiate Singers, or here in Devo? This past summer, my family went to a rock concert together. The whole stadium was singing along! It was awesome! It was a great feeling! In what might seem an unlikely setting, people felt so connected by singing together. People were polite and helping each other at the end of it—the most peaceful and kind departure from a stadium I’ve ever seen. Even the next day, when we were kicking around the city, we’d see people in concert shirts and know that they were part of that group experience. People we’d never met saw our concert shirts and would just come up and talk to us. It was a really neat experience—we were connected! Bridges of empathy had been built by singing together. Those bridges are real.
Research has shown that when people sing together, their hearts start beating in sync! [28] Hold that thought for a minute and connect it with these beautiful scriptures: “And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind” (Moses 7:18). [29] “And he commanded them that there should be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward … having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another” (Mosiah 18:21). [30]
Is there a time when coming together in unity is more needed than now? Even here! There are thousands of students attending BYU-I. As much as we all share, and as much as we all have in common, you will still probably find people different than you. Someone will probably test your patience. We have different backgrounds, different takes on politics, different tastes in music, and these differences can sometimes feel more important to us than they should, especially when, as President Russell M. Nelson has reminded us, we share the most important identity: “We are all children of God.” [31] At times when that is harder for us to remember, could we use the singing of hymns together to help us be one? Could the release of all those happy hormones from singing, the hearts beating in sync from singing together, and most importantly, the Spirit teaching us and healing us through the hymns, help us be unified in our commitment to be like our Savior? Yes! I’m sure it can!
In the most recent General Conference, Sister Browning said, “Sacred music can shine the Light of Christ on the hearer and can pour it into the heart of the singer.” [32] I know that this sacred light, when poured into our hearts, can help us grow in unity.
What does that kind of unity look like in a community of faith like ours? Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf said, “The unity we seek is not to have everyone see things in the same way; it's to have everyone look in the same direction—toward Jesus Christ. It is not our common experiences or background that unites us. It is our common objective. We are one, not because of where we have been, but where we are striving to go, not because of who we are, but who we seek to become.” [33]
Can we use singing hymns, new and old, to help us reach this ambitious goal? I’m certain we can. Where can we start? The Lord said, “the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.” [34] Why not start by having one of our new hymns running through the back of your mind? The one that has been running in the back of my mind ever since I first heard it is “Anytime, Anywhere.” It’s hymn 1012 in our new hymn book.
Where else can you start to use hymns and singing to help us reach the unity Elder Uchtdorf described? Do your classes start with a song and a prayer? If they do, sing along! Because if you can talk, you can sing. And besides, everyone else will be having a flood of feel-good hormones helping to create a feeling of connection, so no one will mind if you’re off-key.
How do the hymns sound in your sacrament meetings? Alive? At tempo? Like you belong to the “church of joy” that Elder Patrick Kearon talked about a couple of conferences ago? [35] Does your ward choir need some help? Be the change!
Another way to sing with a group is to go to Stadium Singers, Sunday nights at 8:30 under the stadium. There are no tryouts, and the acoustics make everyone sound fantastic. Singing is good for your brain and body. Singing is good for your well-being. Singing is good for your community.
Combine all that with the Lord telling us that the song of the righteous is a prayer, and we are told to pray often. So, let's sing often. Let’s find ways to sing the hymns as one important way to feel the Spirit and be united with bridges of empathy and with our hearts knit together in love. “The spirit and the body are the soul of man” [36]—let’s sing hymns to get their messages of faith and hope deep into us (some would say into “the very fiber of our being”), deep into our souls.
I want to close with the words of a hymn we used to sing every week in my grandma’s church—and share them with you as my own testimony. This hymn is called the “Doxology,” which means praise and glory to God. You can find it in our hymnbook as hymn 242. “Praise God from whom all blessings flow. / Praise Him, all creatures here below. / Praise Him above ye Heav’nly host. / Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.” [37]
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Notes
[1] Jocelyn C. Whitehead and Jorge L. Armony, “Singing in the brain: Neural representations of music and voice as revealed by fMRI,” Human Brain Mapping, August 2018, 491-492. doi: 10.1002/hbm.24333.
[2] Andrew J. King and Jan W.H. Schnupp, “The Auditory Coretx,” Current Biology, April 2007, R236-R239, doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2007.01.046.
[3] Corneliu Toader, Calin Petru Tataru, Ioan-Alexandru Florian, et al. “Cognitive Crescendo: How Music Shapes the Brain’s Structure and Function,” Brain Sciences, September 2023, doi: 10.3390/brainsci13101390.
[4] Benjamin K. Ditcher, Jonathan D Breshears, Matthew K. Leonard, and Edward F. Chang, “The Control of Vocal Pitch in Human Laryngeal Motor Cortex,” Cell, June 2018, 21-31 doi: 10.1016/j.cell.2018.05.016.
[5] Virginia B. Penhune and Robert J. Zatorre, “Rhythm and Time in the Premotor Cortex,” PLOS Biology, June 2019, doi: 10.1371/journal.pbio.3000293.
[6] Jessica A. Grahn and Matthew Brett, “Rhythm and Beat Perception in Motor Areas of the Brain,” Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, May 2007, 893-906, doi:10.1162/jocn.2007.19.5.893.
[7] Jessica A. Grahn, “The Role of the Basal Ganglia in Beat Perception: Neuroimaging and Neuropsychological Investigations,” Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences July 2009, 893-906, doi: 10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04553.x.
[8] Muriel T. Zaatar, Kenda Alhakim, Mohammad Enayeh and Ribal Tamer, “The Transformative Power of Music: Insights into Neuroplasticity, Health, and Disease,” Brain, Behavior and Immunity Health, December 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716.
[9] Wiebke Trost, Caitlyn Trevor, Natalia Fernandez, et al., “Live Music Stimulates the Affective Brain and Emotionally Entrains Listeners in Real Time,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, February 2024, doi: 10.1073/pnas.2316306121.
[10] Zonglei Zhou, Ruzhen Zhou, Kunpeng Li, et al. “Effects of Music-Based Movement Therapy on Motor Function, Balance, Gait, Mental Health, and Quality of Life for Patients With Parkinson’s Disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis,” Clinical Rehabilitation, February 2021, doi:10.1177/0269215521990526.
[11] Anna Maria Matxiorinis and Stefan Koelsch, “The Promise of Music Therapy for Alzheimer’s Disease: A Review”, July 2022, 11-17, doi: 10.1111/nyas.14864.
[12] www.churchofjesuschrist.org/initiative/new-hymns.
[13] www.churchofjesuschrist.org/initiative/new-hymns.
[14] Doctrine and Covenants 25:12.
[15] “In Humility, Our Savior,” Hymns, no. 172.
[16] “Be Still My Soul,” Hymns, no. 124.
[17] Tracy Y. Browning, “Tune Your Heart to Jesus Christ: The Sacred Gift of Primary Music”, General Conference October 2025.
[18] Tracy Y. Browning, “Tune Your Heart to Jesus Christ: The Sacred Gift of Primary Music”, General Conference October 2025.
[19] Doctrine and Covenants 88:15.
[20] Doctrine and Covenants 138:50.
[21] Muriel T. Zaatar, Kenda Alhakim, Mohammad Enayeh and Ribal Tamer, “The Transformative Power of Music: Insights into Neuroplasticity, Health, and Disease,” Brain, Behavior and Immunity Health, December 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716.
[22] Muriel T. Zaatar, Kenda Alhakim, Mohammad Enayeh and Ribal Tamer, “The Transformative Power of Music: Insights into Neuroplasticity, Health, and Disease,” Brain, Behavior and Immunity Health, December 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716.
[23] Muriel T. Zaatar, Kenda Alhakim, Mohammad Enayeh and Ribal Tamer, “The Transformative Power of Music: Insights into Neuroplasticity, Health, and Disease,” Brain, Behavior and Immunity Health, December 2023, doi: 10.1016/j.bbih.2023.100716.
[24] Zegni Triki, Katie Daughters, Carsten K. D. DeDreu, “Oxytocin has ‘Tend-and-Defend’ Functionality in Group Conflict Across Social Vertebrates,” Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B - Biological Science, April 2022, doi:10.1098/rstb.2021.0137.
[25] Jason R. Keeler, Edward A. Roth, Brittany L. Neuser, et al., “The Neurochemistry and Social Flow of Singing: Bonding and Oxytocin,” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, September 2015, doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2015.00518.
[26] Gary E. Stevenson, “Blessed Are the Peacemakers,” General Conference, October 2025.
[27] “The Spirit of God,” Hymns, no. 2.
[28] Björn Vickhoff, Helge Malmgren, Rickard Åström, et al., “Music Structure Determines Heart Rate Variability of Singers,” Frontiers in Psychology, July 2013, doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2013.00334.
[29] Moses 7:18.
[30] Moses 18:21.
[31] Russel M. Nelson, “Choices for Eternity”, Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults With President Nelson, May 15, 2022.
[32] Tracy Y. Browning, “Tune Your Heart to Jesus Christ: The Sacred Gift of Primary Music”, General Conference October 2025.
[33] Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Facebook post June 23, 2023 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/liahona/2024/10/digital-only/unity-be-of-one-heart-and-one-mind?lang=eng.
[34] Doctrine and Covenants 25:12.
[35] Patrick Kearon, “Welcome to the Church of Joy,” General Conference, October 2024.
[36] Doctrine and Covenants 88:15.
[37] “Praise God, from Whom All Blessings Flow,” Hymns no. 242.
About Heidi Egan
Heidi Egan grew up in Toronto, Canada, but moved to the United States for college in 1993. She has lived in Provo, Seattle, Upstate New York, Los Angeles, and now Rexburg. She enjoyed serving a unique mission as a church service missionary leader.
Heidi earned an associate degree in biology, a bachelor’s degree in psychology, a master’s degree in nutrition, another master’s degree in psychology, and most recently, a PhD in health psychology. Before coming to BYU–Idaho, Heidi was a full-time stay-at-home mom. She became an online adjunct employee in 2016 and has been a full-time employee since 2021.
Heidi has been married to Jonathon Egan for 30 years, and they have five children. Heidi’s hobbies include fiber arts and gardening. She has served in nearly every church auxiliary, but her favorite calling is the one she has now––Primary music leader.
A transcript of Sister Egan's devotional address will be made available soon.