The Power of Dancing
Dancing has been shown to lower stress, boost levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and help in developing new brain connections. Here’s what the experts have to say about dance.
Until recently, researchers paid little attention to the impact that dancing can have on the brain. However the relationship between dancing and people’s health is now a hot topic.
Dancing has a variety of physical advantages, but studies show that it can also improve the health of the mind, with a growing body of data suggesting that it is beneficial to mental health. A Columbia University neurologist proposed in a 2008 article in Scientific American Magazine that dancing creates a “pleasure double play.”
Dance affects the brain’s sensory and motor pathways, while the music you dance to boosts the brain’s rewards systems. As you dance, you are essentially releasing a double shot of endorphins through your body. Dancing also promotes brain health, according to new research published in Frontiers in Aging Neurology.
According to the findings, maintaining a healthy lifestyle into old age can help to preserve physical, cognitive, and perceptual functions. Dancing is just one such activity that can be incorporated into your lifestyle that has several wellbeing benefits for the body and mind.
NEUROPLASTICITY
Further research in a study published in the Journal of Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews revealed that long-term dance practice has a positive effect on brain activity. All of this is linked to neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and change. As you dance, the combination of exercise and sensory enrichment from the music helps to improve neuroplasticity. As a result, dancing can be used as a treatment for various neurological conditions, including stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and cerebral palsy. Dancing can also activate nerve growth, which really helps with anti aging.
Nerve growth factors are proteins that help sensory neurons stay healthy.
Dancing has been proven to enhance memory and cognitive function. It has also been shown to reduce the incidence of dementia across several studies.
Scientists at Albert Einstein College of Medicine conducted a study that revealed that dance is linked to a 76 per cent lower incidence of dementia among participants. The study looked at the impact of recreational activities on the risk of dementia in the elderly. The researchers looked at the benefits of 11 various forms of physical exercises, such as cycling, golf, swimming, and tennis. Dancing was the only one that was shown to reduce the risk of dementia in participants.
Dancing requires both mental work and social contact, and according to scientists, this sort of stimulation helps lower the risk of dementia.
“Dancing creates a ‘pleasure double play’ essentially releasing a double shot of endorphins through your body and brain.”
DOPAMINE
Dance has also shown to be therapeutic for people living with Parkinson’s disease.
Around 12,000 people live with Parkinson’s in Ireland - a series of illnesses known as motorsystem disorders which occur when the brain’s dopamine producing cells die. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that is necessary for the brain to govern movement and coordination. As Parkinson’s disease advances, a growing number of these cells die, lowering the quantity of dopamine accessible to the brain significantly.
Parkinson’s disease is characterised by bradykinesia (slowed movement), rigidity of the limbs, tremors and poor balance and coordination.
Dance may be able to help with these symptoms. Daniel Tarsy, a professor of neurology and director of the Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders Centre, states that “While a lot of this research is observational rather than hard science, it is consistent, and there is a lot of it.” Dance, according to Tarsy, is a type of rhythmic auditory stimulation.
In another study, a sequence of dance moves were shown to Parkinson’s patients, and they were instructed to follow the actions and move to the beat of the music. Participants in this study showed substantial improvements in the movement of their limbs and torso.
Another illness that dancing is proven to combat is depression. Depression is a debilitating mental disease marked by melancholy, difficulty regulating emotions, and a loss of interest or pleasure in typically pleasurable activities. More than 350 million individuals worldwide suffer from depression. Medication in conjunction with counselling and psychotherapy is the most frequent and successful treatment for depression today. Researchers looked at whether dancing might be used as a treatment for depression in a study.
Dancing focuses on bodily movement and emotional expression, which might assist with depressive symptoms. At the same time, psychometric measurements suggest that it helps reduce depression.
According to other research, dance has been shown to lower stress, boost levels of the feel-good hormone serotonin, and aid in the development of new brain connections, particularly in areas involved in executive function, long-term memory and spatial recognition. It has proven to positively impact symptoms of cognitive and physical diseases such as Parkinson’s and depression. While scientists continue to research the benefits of dancing to enhance brain health, there are plenty of health reasons to integrate some cool (and crazy) dance moves into your exercise routine. So go on, dance like no one is watching!
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