Dancing, its benefits and psychological repercussions: everything you need to know.
When we talk about dance we talk about a world and a passion that includes various aspects to consider. On the other hand, dance is often born with us.
Probably one of the actions that we tend to implement spontaneously and naturally since we were little is precisely that of dance. Dancing, in fact, is one of the actions that we perform naturally and that allows many of us to let off steam and feel good. The frequency with which one dances obviously changes over time. There are those who continue to cultivate this passion even in adult life and those who, on the other hand, enjoy dancing only in some specific circumstances and situations.
Dance and its psychological power: what is it?
In any case, regardless of aptitudes and passions, dance has a powerful psychological value. Several studies show how much dance is good for health both because it improves mood and relieves stress and because it prevents diseases such as dementia.
In addition to this, other effects of dance on each of us have also been studied and detected. For example, effects on memory have also been demonstrated.
Why is dance so important? And what are the specific effects? This article will talk about the importance of dance by highlighting its beneficial effects on various aspects.
What was the use of dancing in ancient times?
Before highlighting all the beneficial effects of dance, many ask themselves a crucial question: what is dancing for? In short, what determined the popularity of dance even before scientific studies on its benefits?
With respect to the evolution of dance, there are today two hypotheses that seem to explain its importance and usefulness.
According to the first hypothesis, the dance has no particular meaning as it seems to have emerged casually from the development of language and from the upright position. It is surely these traits that make us human and distinguish us from other mammals and animals. And it seems that these two factors also determined the origin of the dance.
The second hypothesis, on the other hand, sees dance as an adaptive ability that serves above all to strengthen social ties between humans. It is precisely this strength of human relationships that then determines a collaboration and therefore also the strength of the group that guarantees survival. In this sense, therefore, the ability to be a social being is strengthened and the strength of the group is increased. This was also expressed by the anthropologist Edward Hagen of Washington State University. He hypothesized that the dance evolved as a way of evaluating each other, measuring each other whether there was “chemistry” between them in view of eventual alliances.
Another hypothesis has also been proposed by Steven J. Mithen, archaeologist at the English University of Reading. From his perspective, dance represents an action that humans needed to show their fitness and coordination. Qualities that in prehistoric society were useful for survival.
What is the use of dancing today?
Today dance is certainly one of the important components of our society. The main source of dance today turns out to be that of physical attraction between humans. It is therefore used as a way to get to know and attract a possible partner to yourself .
Psychologists at Northumbria University in Newcastle, UK, have investigated the very aspect that links dance to physical attraction. They used an avatar that repeated the steps of various dancers and asked 57 males and 143 females which moves were the sexiest.
It has been found that women are attracted to men who move their upper body, who use a lot of space to dance and who vary their movements. They also noted a curious preference for men who flexed and turned their right knee more.
Men, on the other hand, preferred women who swung their hips more and performed asymmetrical movements of the legs. The researchers also found that the wide hip swing is considered attractive. In fact it is believed that this movement highlights the width of the pelvis which is a clear sign of fertility. So the utility of dance as a means of “physical attraction” finds its equivalent in science.
What are the benefits of dancing?
In addition to its functions, dance also has various benefits on our body. As has been mentioned, dancing reduces stress, improves mood, prevents dementia or even Parkinson’s disease.
These various benefits are dictated by the fact that dancing involves a double effort, both from a physical and a cognitive point of view; moreover, this action also involves social interaction. Precisely this combination involves the establishment of a series of neural networks in place of the lost ones. Lost to cognitive impairment and age.
- What is the use of dancing? (focus.it)
