5 Psychological Benefits of Dance
Did you know dancing has many psychological benefits? Have you tried all that dance has to offer? This article will explain 5 psychological benefits of dance and give you 5 powerful reasons to move your feet, your mind, and your body to music.
Dancing is a universal language. Two or more people can connect and communicate with nothing more than the movement of their bodies and their desire to move to the rhythm of the music. Music gives us a chance to meet new people without even having to speak, to express ourselves without a single word.
We now present the psychological benefits of dance, for our bodies and our minds.
Dance to develop creativity
When we allow our bodies to flow with the music, we let our minds work freely. We don’t need language, all we need is to feel and express ourselves physically. The doors of spontaneity and creativity open and new paths await. We find new answers to our problems, our minds travel down new roads.
Peter Lovatt, director of the Dance Psychology Laboratory of the University of Hertfordshire, conducted a study which affirmed that dancing helps the brain find new ways of thinking and creates new neural circuits.
Dance as connection
Dancing allows us to connect to our innermost selves. Through dance, we can express emotions that we may not even be conscious of. It frees us from the weights we carry. It gives us the opportunity to get to know ourselves through a different language.
Dance doesn’t just allow us to connect with ourselves, however. Dancing also has a social aspect and gives us a chance to get to know others. Dance unites people of all ages and gives people from all over a common language. Above all, it brings people with different tastes and personalities together, all united by music and rhythm.
Dance improves state of being and self-esteem
When you dance, your mind is free to forget all of your problems and focus on movement. Also, dancing releases dopamine and serotonin, chemicals that reduce stress and increase feelings of happiness. Many studies support the hypothesis that dance can alleviate physical pain, such as headaches and backaches. It can also reduce some symptoms of depression.
Dance allows us to unite our body, mind, and spirit, improving connection and strengthening self-esteem. It also generates more self-confidence and trust in others, by practicing with dance partners. By letting go of inhibitions and letting our creativity rule on the dance floor, we open doors within ourselves so we can love ourselves a little more.
Dancing makes your brain age more slowly
A study conducted by M. Joe Verghese (2003) demonstrated that dance favors neural synapses, slowing the loss of volume in the hippocampus that happens naturally as a part of aging. It helps protect the brain in the long run. This scientist also found in his other studies that it stimulates the central nervous system and brain activity.
Now you khow much dancing, enjoying music, and freeing your mind can do for you. It all protects your brain from the effects of time. Think of dance as an opportunity to be creative. Unleash your feet, because music and dance make the heart beat.
“The truest expressions of a people are in its dance and in its music. Bodies never lie.”
–Agnes de Mille