Research has found that adults today have fewer friends than they did in the 1980s, and that more people say they have no one to discuss important stuff with.

研究发现，相比于20世纪80年代，如今的成年人朋友更少，并且越来越多的人表示，他们甚至没有一个能与之讨论重要事情的朋友。

A new, small study suggests that singing is an effective way to make new friends because it helps us bond quickly with others.

一项新的小型研究表明，唱歌是结交新朋友的有效方法，因为唱歌能使我们和其他人快速凝聚在一起。

For the study, led by Eiluned Pearce, Ph.D., at Oxford¹ University, researchers looked at participants, ages 18 to 83, in adult education classes organized by the Workers' Education Association in the UK. Eighty-four participants were enrolled² in one of four singing classes; 51 participants were enrolled in one of two creative crafts classes or a creative writing class.

这项研究由英国牛津大学的艾伦德·皮尔斯博士领导，由研究人员对参与者进行观察——这些参与者来自英国工人教育协会组织的成人教育班，年龄在18岁到83岁之间。84位参与者被分到四个歌唱班，51位参与者被分到两个创意工艺品班和一个创意写作班。

Over a period of seven months, the classes met weekly. During the first, third, and final months, researchers asked participants to indicate how close they felt to their classmates.

在为期七个月的研究中，班级同学每周见一次面。在第一个月、第三个月和最后一个月中，研究人员会对参与者进行询问，让他们说明他们和同学的亲密度。

Results showed something surprising. Although participants in all the classes felt closer to their classmates by the study's end, participants in the singing classes developed that closeness much more quickly.

研究结果令人惊讶。尽管在学习结束的时候，所有班级的参与者都觉得与同学的关系更为亲密，但是歌唱班参与者们的亲密关系则发展得更为迅速。

As for why exactly singing facilitates fast group bonding, the researchers say one possible reason is that everyone does it at the same time. Compare that to creative writing or crafting, where everyone is working on an individual project. Another potential cause, according to the researchers, is that singing involves muscular effort, which triggers the release of certain molecules³ that can make us happier and more willing to cooperate.

至于歌唱为何能够促进一个群体快速凝聚，研究人员称，可能是因为歌唱时所有人都在同时做这件事情，而在创意写作班和工艺品班，每个人都在单独做自己的事情。调查人员称，另外一个潜在的原因是唱歌会涉及到肌肉活动，而这会释放出某些使人更快乐，更乐意与人合作的化学分子。

The takeaway here is that singing can be a great icebreaker among large groups of strangers (remember office karaoke night?), which can facilitate individual friendships down the line.

这里的重点是，对于一大群陌生人来说，唱歌可能是最好的打破坚冰的方法(记得办公室卡拉OK之夜吗？)，这能够大力促进人们友谊的发展。

"Really close relationships still depend on interactions between individuals or much smaller groups," Pearce said , "but this study shows singing can kick start the bonding process."

“个人或是更小团体之间真正亲密的关系，还取决于相互交流，”皮尔斯说，“但这项研究表明唱歌能够成为友谊之路的开端。”