AFTER receiving an email from a young girl about her love of dance, and how it got her through some tough times, I thought it best to share the mental health benefits of dance.

Whether you consider it a hobby or job, dance is art and can be an expression of love and emotion. If you think about it, many sentiments can be communicated through dance and it wouldn’t be that difficult for audiences to decipher the mood of the dancer. Couldn’t someone dance in a way that displays happiness, sadness or even anger? It could help to release these emotions as a form of self-expression; maybe of feelings we didn’t even know we had.

Dancing is often considered a recreational activity or a job. Many also use it for exercise as its physical benefits have been vastly acknowledged. However, its positive mental and even social benefits are often overlooked.

Dancing is enlightening; it heals and can allow the broken to become whole. Due to the physical activity alone, dancing increases energy and enhances the mood while decreasing stress, body tension and the possible onset of mental health illnesses such as anxiety and depression. Most of us are familiar with the feeling that comes with even a few minutes on the dance floor. Yea, that happy and uplifting one. Well did you know that there is actually a scientific explanation for that feeling? Dancing releases feel-good chemicals such as serotonin and dopamine in the brain, which are the chemicals that are generally responsible for the happiness and positivity that we feel.

There has been research that focused on the ‘dancer’s high’ which shows that the positive benefits of dance last a prolonged period of time after the activity. Dancing has actually been a prescription for mild anxiety and depression. Yes, meaning a doctor or psychologist recommended to aid in developing or maintaining good mental health.

The vulnerability that may accompany dance is thought to decrease individuals’ fear of situations that would usually bring forth anxiety- such as public speaking or general socialising. When done in groups, it can promote socialisation, team-work and unity. Dancing can also be viewed as a universal language which both communicates and connects – both with others and ourselves. Through this, it works to increase self-esteem, self-confidence and overall well-being.

Dance enhances creativity, especially when choreographing your own dance. Professors of Dance Psychology (yes, that’s a thing), have found that dancing helps the brain find new ways of thinking and creates new neural circuits. Not only does it enhance mood but certain cognitive skills as well, such as visual recognition, decision-making, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.

There have been many studies which have examined the direct positive effect of dancing. One in Sweden studied 100 teenage girls who struggled with depression and anxiety. Half of the girls attended weekly dance classes, while the other half didn’t. The results indicated that the girls who took the dance classes improved their mental health and reported a boost in their mood. These positive effects lasted up to eight months after the dance classes ended. This means that not only is dancing itself effective but it can also lead to newly developed and possibly sustained new healthy habits and coping skills. Another in the United States reviewed the effects of dance in older participants – ages 65-91. Results of a dance class within this group, especially Zumba, resulted in improved moods and cognitive skills as well as increased strength and agility.

Actually, dance has also been used as part of holistic treatment for conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, chronic pain, dementia, autism, and mood disorders. It has been shown that consistent dancing improves heart health, overall muscle strength and enhances balance and coordination. Some research even shows that dance can alleviate physical pain, such as headaches and backaches. Other studies even show that dancing results in slower ageing of the brain. Basically, it favours neural synapses, slowing the loss of volume in the hippocampus that happens naturally as a part of ageing.

Although dancing itself should not replace help or treatment from a mental health professional, it is an added benefit and just one of the many ways to practice good mental health and wellbeing.

It’s a healthy coping mechanism. It’s easy and free to do. Try it today!

Thanking you for reading. Please keep sending any topics you’d like to talk about to caitlinvieira@gmail.com
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