If you're thinking of getting into an activity to be healthier and happier, science says you get a bit more out of dance than other forms of exercise. While almost any kind of regular exercise plan is healthy, from my personal experience with dance you get:
an instant community
you hone in on social skills
people tend to become happier
you're interacting with music in a more exciting, dynamic manner than ever
and best of all... it doesn't even feel like exercise 😉
My new, favorite Artificial Intelligence tool Consensus.AI gave me a data-driven look at how dance outshines other types of exercise.
84% of the 10 meta analysis articles concluded that YES dance has a unique benefit over other forms of exercise. Particularly: "These studies suggest that dance offers unique benefits such as improved balance, cognitive function, and reduced cardiovascular disease risk, particularly in older adults."
There are thousands of articles about the mental and health benefits of dance. But below are some of the more significant conclusions from individual studies and summaries (meta analysis) on the outstanding benefits of dance.
"Moderate-intensity dancing was associated with a reduced risk for cardiovascular disease mortality to a greater extent than walking. The association between dance and cardiovascular disease mortality may be explained by high-intensity bouts during dancing, lifelong adherence, or psychosocial benefits." Source: study on cardiovascular health published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
"Dance interventions significantly reduce depressive symptoms in older adults, with South America and Australia showing the greatest effects." The study looked specifically at the over 60 suffering from depression.
"These studies showed that dance improves brain structure and function as well as physical and cognitive functions." Whoa! Double-take! The scientists of this meta analysis reviewed 1,051 studies and vetted 35 that they found most reliable and their conclusion was that dance improves your brain structure! 🤯 Thanks mom. Love your DNA, but I'm going to improve on it!
Conclusion: dance does it better! And given that these studies focus almost exclusively on older patients with some kind of medical problem, can you imagine the long-term benefits if you start dancing when you're young and/or healthy!?
One study that found that dancers were happier with dance and their lives the longer they'd been dancing. Start today.
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