Have you ever wondered what happens in a “dancing brain” ?.. Probably no..But trust me, you would be fascinated by the cognitive and neural underpinnings of the dancers’ brain.
Dancing involves a wide range of complex psychomotor activities that causes neural and psychological effects. This mind-body gross and fine coordination results in improve total brain function.
Until recently, little attention was given to the neurological effects of dance. However, researchers have now begun to investigate the complex mental coordination involved in dance. A Columbia University neuroscientist has suggested that synchronizing music and movement through dance stimulates both the brain’s reward centers and its sensory and motor circuits, resulting in a “pleasure double play.”
PET imaging studies have identified specific regions of the brain involved in dance learning and performance, including the motor cortex, somatosensory cortex, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. While some studies have focused on the physical benefits of dance, such as improved memory and strengthened neuronal connections, others have explored how the expressive elements of dance alter brain function.
For example, a study by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine found that dancing can lower the risk of dementia in the elderly, possibly due to the mental effort and social interaction involved. Additionally, a small study by researchers at North Dakota’s Minot State University found that the Latin-style dance program known as Zumba can improve mood and certain cognitive skills such as visual recognition and decision-making. Other studies have shown that dance can reduce stress, increase serotonin levels, and help develop new neural connections in regions involved in executive function, long-term memory, and spatial recognition.
Dancers tend to be smart in many ways, including bodily-kinesthetic intelligence, spatial intelligence, and creative intelligence:
-Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence refers to the ability to skillfully control body movements and handle objects. Dancing requires a high degree of bodily-kinesthetic skill and mastery, as dancers learn to eloquently and efficiently control their physical movements. Developing this physical intelligence enhances connections between the motor cortex, sensory areas, and cognitive control centers in the brain.
– Dancing also improves spatial awareness and spatial reasoning by requiring an acute sense of where your body is in space and how it relates to other dancers. Enhanced spatial skills have been linked to achievement in science, math, and engineering—all of which rely heavily on spatial abilities.
-The improvisational and creative elements of dance boost connectivity in areas of the brain involved in creativity—leading to more divergent thinking and imaginative problem solving. Creating a dance routine calls upon both convergent thinking (putting the steps together) and divergent thinking (exploring many possible options). This enhances a flexible, imaginative mindset.
-Dancing provides an aerobic workout that releases neurotransmitters which promote the growth of neural connections and improved signaling in the brain. This boosts cognitive functions like planning, memory, attention, and problem solving—all of which feed into intelligence.
-The physical, mental and emotional benefits of dance—such as improved mood, reduced stress, increased circulation—enhance both well-being and cognitive performance. Lower stress and improved fitness are associated with better memory, focus, and learning.
-Dancing also requires following complex rhythms, memorizing and repeating sequences, and adapting to changes—all of which call upon cognitive skills such as pattern recognition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. These advanced cognitive skills, in turn, strengthen neural connections in areas associated with intelligence.
So while natural talent plays a role, dancing employs and enhances so many areas of intelligence— bodily-kinesthetic, spatial, creative, cognitive, and emotional—that it’s no wonder dancers have a mental, as well as physical, edge. Dancing truly provides the mind-body connection that leads to a high-powered mind.
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3. Bläsing, B., Calvo-Merino, B., Cross, E. S., Jola, C., Honisch, J., & Stevens, C. J. (2012). Neurocognitive control in dance perception and performance. Acta psychologica, 139(2), 300-308.
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5.Burzynska, A. Z., Jiao, Y., Knecht, A. M., Fanning, J., Awick, E. A., Chen, T., … & Voss, M. W. (2017). White matter integrity declined over 6-months, but dance intervention improved integrity of the Fornix of older adults. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 9, 59.
6.Hwang, E. J., Brothers, R. M., Castelli, D. M., Glowacki, E. M., & Chen, Y. T. (2016). Aging adults experience diminished motor coordination and increased variability during dance-based movement: A power law analysis approach. PloS one, 11(10), e0165385.
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9.Merle, M., & Faugloire, E. (2018). The cognitive benefits of dance for healthy older adults: A systematic review. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 26(2), 327-344.
10.Rehfeld, K., Müller, P., Aye, N., Schmicker, M., Dordevic, M., Kaufmann, J., … & Müller, N. G. (2018). Dancing or fitness sport? The effects of two training programs on hippocampal plasticity and balance abilities in healthy seniors. Frontiers in human neuroscience, 12, 520.
11..Verghese, J., Lipton, R. B., Katz, M. J., Hall, C. B., Derby, C. A., Kuslansky, G., … & Buschke, H. (2003). Leisure activities and the risk of dementia in the elderly. New England Journal of Medicine, 348(25), 2508-2516.
12.Lövdén, M., Schaefer, S., & Lindenberger, U. (2010). Cognitive plasticity in adulthood and old age: Gauging the generality of cognitive intervention effects. Restorative neurology and neuroscience, 28(6), 715-728.
13. Müller, P., Rehfeld, K., Schmicker, M., Hökelmann, A., Dordevic, M., Lessmann, V., … & Müller, N. G. (2017). Evolution of neuroplasticity in response to physical activity in old age: the case for dancing. Frontiers in aging neuroscience, 9, 56.
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