Singing in a choir can boost your mental health, a new study suggests.

Researchers carried out an online survey of 375 people who sang in choirs, sang alone, or played team sports. All three activities yielded high levels of psychological well-being - but choristers stood out as experiencing the greatest benefit.

Compared with the way sports players regarded their teams, choral singers also viewed their choirs as more coherent or "meaningful".

Nick Stewart, from Oxford Brookes University, who led the study, presented the findings at the annual meeting of the British Psychological Society's Division of Clinical Psychology in York.