Dancing is fun and can be a great way to celebrate, but evidence also suggests it can be a powerful tool for boosting mental health and well-being. Researchers have found that dancing can improve mood, combat depression, boost brain function, foster happiness, and even improve relationships. It can also improve psychological coping and overall well-being.
Whether you prefer solo dancing or being involved in a more formalized and choreographed program, dancing offers obvious plusses to your physical health. You’re not only rhythmically moving your body and expressing feelings. You’re burning calories and getting a workout for sure.
But this creative, fun physical activity also boosts your brain functioning. You’re taking a break from work, family, and everyday stressors. You’re turning off the incessant worry and negative self-talk. Lastly, you don’t have time to ruminate while you dance.
At a Glance
Some people prefer to dance on their own to their favorite songs on Spotify or on the radio. Others want to learn ballroom dancing or hip-hop. Or take a tango class at their local community center. Whatever you choose, dancing can help you stay physically and mentally healthy. The benefits to your mental health from dancing might not be so readily apparent, but they are many and profound.
How Dancing Benefits Mental Health
People often find dancing fun, exciting, and uplifting, but there are also other vital physical and mental health benefits to moving your body along to music. If you’re looking for a reason to sign up for a community dance class or start dancing on your own while you listen to music at home, the following are some great benefits you might enjoy.
Mental Health Benefits of Dance
Some ways dancing might improve your mental health include:
- Keeps your mind sharp
- Improves self-esteem
- Enhances social skills
- Increases endorphins
- Makes it easier to bond with others
- Boosts your mood
- Reduces loneliness
- Decreases anxiety and depression
- Reduces rumination
- Supports memory
- May help prevent dementia
- Raises pain threshold
- Lessens pain perception
Physical Health Benefits of Dance
Dancing can boost overall physical fitness in a variety of ways, including the following:
- Improves muscle tone
- Increases muscle strength
- Raises heart rate
- Improves lungs
- Increases circulation
- Lowers risk of cardiovascular disease
- Boosts aerobic fitness
- Improves posture
- Makes stronger bones
- Reduces risk of osteoporosis
- Helps weight management
- Improves flexibility
- Better coordination and agility
- Increased endurance
How Different Types of Dancing Affect Mental Health
Research indicates that different types of dance can offer various mental health benefits. You might consider exploring free-flowing dance, choreographed dance, or synchronized dance.
Free-Flowing Dance
A UCLA Health study published in the August 2021 issue of Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice found that conscious, free-flowing dance offered positive mental health benefits for participants. The study surveyed 1,000 dancers worldwide who experienced depression, anxiety, or a history of trauma.
A huge majority—98%—of all dancers said the practice improved their mood. Many also reported that conscious dance gave them more confidence and compassion.
Prabha Siddarth, PhD, research statistician at the Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior at UCLA and senior author on the study noted how participants felt in the flow or in the zone by performing this self-led dance.
Choreographed Dance
In a study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, researchers compared the effects of walking, stretching, and dancing on brain health. Dancing had the most notable positive effect.
After recruiting volunteers in their 60s and 70s with healthy brains that didn’t show signs of cognitive impairment, researchers randomly placed them in three groups:
- One group walked
- Another stretched and did balance training
- The last group learned country dancing where the choreography of the dancing became progressively more challenging over time
They all did the assigned activity for one hour a day, three times a week. After a period of six months, the volunteers’ brains were re-scanned and compared to when they had begun their regimens.
The researchers found only one group showed an improvement—the country dancers. The participants who learned country dancing now had denser white matter in the part of the brain that processed memory. White matter usually breaks down as a person ages, which may contribute to cognitive decline.
Such results suggest that dancing protects the brain from aging-induced neurodegeneration. This means that dancing is not only an aerobic activity good for your physical health; it helps your brain!
Country dancing, ballroom dancing, tango, salsa, and waltz are all done with others. When you participate in these dances, you’re involved in a beneficial social activity as well. You are also cognitively stimulating your brain as you learn the steps to the dances. Dancing therefore might be one of the best physical activities you can choose for brain health.
Synchronized Dance
Another study found that synchronized dancing with others enabled people to feel closer to each other and fostered friendship. It also raised pain tolerance.
When you synchronize with the people next to you in a Zumba class or a flash mob, you’re doing a form of collective dancing to music. This is great for feelings of closeness with others.
In the research study, when participants danced, happy chemicals called endorphins were released. Endorphins are integral in the human bonding processes. Thus, they—and we—feel closer to others we are dancing with.
In this particular study, researchers wanted to see the effect of endorphins on pain. Pain was measured by the steady inflation of a blood pressure cuff on the subjects’ non-dominant arms. Study participants were asked to indicate when the pressure became uncomfortable while they danced.
The results of the research showed that those moving most energetically and in synchrony bonded with others, and also had a higher pain threshold.
Dance Therapy
Some people opt for dance or movement therapy. It’s defined by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) as the “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual,” for the purpose of improving health and well-being.
A research study was conducted on the effects of movement and dance on health-related psychological outcomes. Its findings were promising. The benefits of movement and dance included increased quality of life and interpersonal skills while at the same time lowering depression and anxiety.
If you hadn’t considered dance yet, think again about incorporating dance into your physical and mental health programs.
How to Get Started
If you are interested in trying dancing for mental health, here are a few strategies that can help you get started:
Try Dancing Alone at Home
A great place to start is to dance alone at home. Turn up some of your favorite upbeat songs and get moving. You might even try dancing around the house while you’re doing housework.
Take a Dance Class
Consider signing up for a dance class, whether online or in person. You can look for dance classes in a variety of places, including:
- Local dance studios
- Community centers
- Gyms and fitness centers
- Local colleges and universities
- Online groups and platforms
Try a Video Game
It can also be motivating to gamify your dance experience. Video games like Just Dance, Beat Saber, and Dance Dance Revolution can be a fun way to get moving.
Go Dancing With Friends
An evening out with friends at a local dance venue can also be a great way to benefit from dancing. It also brings the social benefits of spending time with people in your support network. Plus, it’s fun!
For those who are older and worried about injury, as with most activities, work with a certified professional. This person will guide you on how to work with any physical limitation and help you prevent injury. Dance therapists should be fully credentialed and can offer you ways to improve your well-being with a step-by-step plan.
Takeaway
If you never considered dancing due to self-consciousness, you are far from alone. Many people fear that once they get up and move, they will look foolish and that all eyes will be upon them. The fact of the matter is most people are focused on their own dancing and having a good time. Practice with a friend or take lessons. Once you get on the dance floor, you might even find dancing to be a fun way to improve both your physical and mental well-being.
