Dance with Me

This week we celebrate Valentine’s Day.

Physical activity generally improves health and well-being.  Scientists wanted to compare the benefits of dance with other forms of exercise.

Researchers conducted a meta-analysis of studies with 1,392 participants from 7-85 years old (944 female) who studied various dance genres for at least 6 weeks.  Some participants were healthy, and some suffered from chronic conditions (heart failure, Parkinson’s disease, fibromyalgia, and cerebral palsy).  Dance forms, including social, traditional, and aerobic, were compared to walking, martial arts, weight training, and team sports. 

They found that taking a structured dance program for at least 6 weeks improved psychological and cognitive health, and in some cases outperformed other forms of exercise, in all populations.  Benefits included improvements in emotional well-being, motivation, depression, social cognition, and some aspects of memory.  Dance was found to improve stress, anxiety, and depression symptoms.  Part of the benefit of dance may be the combination of exercise and cognitive challenge. 

The study abstracts states, “Learning dance sequences may challenge cognition, partnered or group dance may benefit social interactions, and the artistic aspect may improve psychological wellbeing.”

Takeaway:  Dance class is as effective, and in some cases more effective, as other forms of exercise at improving psychological and cognitive health, if it lasts at least 6 weeks. 

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Cheek to Cheek by Irving Berlin, for the 1935 movie Top Hat
Lyric: “Dance with me, I want my arms about you”

Well-being is a journey, not a quick fix.

Source

Alycia Fong Yan, et al., The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-Analysis, Sports Medicine, Springer Link, Jan. 25, 2024, The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions on Psychological and Cognitive Health Outcomes Compared with Other Forms of Physical Activity: A Systematic Review with Meta-analysis | Sports Medicine (springer.com)

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