Dance, dribble, shake… it's the cheapest health shot!

It is one of the most fascinating and elegant spectacles we can observe in nature: two swans moving their bodies in sync in a mating ritual popularly known as the "dance of love." Some species, like chimpanzees, are even capable of shaking to the rhythm of music. But, unlike humans, Animals cannot internalize the pulses, These are the basic unit of time in musical compositions. To put it simply, that thump-thump-thump that beats inside us, like our heart, and that makes us clap, tap our feet on the floor, or move our heads spontaneously when we hear a melody. Even newborn babies possess this ability, as several experiments have shown.

"There is another innate ability exclusive to human beings:training –synchronization or assembly, in Catalan–, that is, moving, dancing or playing music in a coordinated way with other people," says Rubén López-Cano, professor and researcher at the Department of Cultural and Musical Studies at the Higher School of Music of Catalonia (ESMUC). And, taking into account that the oldest musical instrument found to date It is a flute from 42,000 years agoThere must be some evolutionary advantage to the fact that music still accompanies us. López-Cano is clear: "The rituals of singing, dancing, and moving in sync build bonds of codependency and trust that are essential for survival."

An explosion in the brain

Since neuroimaging techniques have made it possible to study the brain, we know that few activities stimulate it as completely as dancing. Because, even if we don't aspire to become John Travolta in Saturday Night Fever, dribbling around the house or in a Zumba class requires a monumental coordination of tasks at the same time: from body orientation to memorizing sequences, synchronizing steps and even interpreting the emotions of the person accompanying us on the dance floor.

Ana Belén López-Rodríguez, research coordinator of the neurology department at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa in Madrid, a scientist trained in classical, contemporary, and flamenco dance since the age of seven, highlights the explosion of neurotransmitters that occurs in the brain when we move our bodies in a movie, serotonin and endorphins, among other hormones. all of them closely linked to well-being and pleasure. That's why dancing provokes a direct reward that we experience from a young age.

Improving self-esteem in young people

Beyond a form of artistic expression, science considers dance a powerful tool for development in children and especially in adolescents, a stage of life in which physical and emotional changes occur that generate instability and uncertainty. A bibliographic review Several studies published on the subject in 2021 showed that dance, especially in a group setting, can contribute to increasing self-esteem and self-confidence, as well as improving body perception – often biased at these ages – and enhancing crucial social skills.

In the words of Rubén López-Cano, "music and dance have the ability to create spaces that break the usual rules." That's why many shy people aren't shy in this context. And in certain styles, grabbing someone by the waist, invading personal distance, is allowed without being considered disrespectful.

Young people can also "experiment with gender identity, whether by dressing up as if it were Carnival or by performing movements that differ from those imposed by gender norms," this expert points out. For example, tango can construct marked stereotypes of masculinity and femininity. But tango is also practiced today. queer, which suggests that everyone can assume either or both roles in the same dance.

One of the specialties of the ESMUC professor, author of the blog Loose papers, is urban popular music, and is also related daily with young students who, although they are professionally dedicated to classical music, listen reggaeton since high school. "Hypersexualized dances are not a passing fad, but a way of presenting themselves for an entire generation. twerking turns the ass into the center of expression, and many girls, even feminists, have appropriated it perreo and they play with the narrative of feeling bad and promiscuous, but in a performative way." We could think that this contradicts the sexist content of many of these songs. In this sense, López-Cano believes that "when we listen to music, the body commands, and the verbal content of the lyrics may not be assumed and it remains," it remains. biological in dance, we must also take into account its cultural dimension."

Benefits in adulthood

The positive effects of dancing have not only been demonstrated in childhood and adolescence, but are present throughout all stages of life. The physical benefits are more than evident: increased flexibility, balance, muscle strength, and joint lubrication; improved blood pressure; and reduced body fat in overweight and obese people, among others. But, in addition, move the tibia and fibula whenever possible, To paraphrase Alaska, it primarily entails a series of emotional and cognitive benefits. For starters, it helps regulate stress. One of the main conclusions, according to a recent study published in the magazine Psychology of Sports & Exercise, is that it stimulates the release of dopamine and endorphins in the brain, associated with pleasure, motivation and reward, while reducing levels of cortisol, the main stress hormone.

In addition, another work, in this case of the University of Sydney, shows that it's better for mental health than other commonly recommended physical exercises, such as walking, running, or lifting weights. For López-Rodríguez, it's not that dancing is better than sports, or vice versa, but rather that the key lies in motivation and enjoyment: "If a person hates dancing, they won't get any benefits beyond the physical; the emotional, cognitive, and social benefits will be diminished because they don't enjoy the activity."

When asked if there is any dance style that is more beneficial than others, the scientist, who defines herself as on social networks As a "neurodancer" who shares her content through the Matrioska Leré account, she indicates that most clinical trials have been conducted with ballroom dances, such as tango. In this sense, the most well-known genre in Argentina and Uruguay has proven improve some motor and cognitive skills in patients with Parkinson's and also with dementia; Increase body awareness and reduce pain in rheumatoid arthritis, and mitigate chronic fatigue associated with breast cancer. López-Rodríguez also refers to studies with other traditional dances such as Greek folklore, which contributes to balance control in healthy older people with just two one-hour sessions per week. Or flamenco, which with a weekly two-hour session can improve the mood of sadness or anxiety in women between 62 and 79 years old, according to a research project by the University of Seville.

Beyond style, it has long been known that Alzheimer's patients respond to rhythmic movements. One of the most recent studies in this regard comes from from the University of West Florida, in the USA. The authors evaluated the impact of practicing online dance or line dance adapted for an average of 70 minutes per week for nearly three months in a group of people aged 69 to 97—four men and 12 women—compared to another group that participated in activities without music, such as bingo, puzzles, crafts, card games, and board games. In the first case, the participants did not experience loss of balance or falls, since both their agitation and the strength of their limbs had improved significantly during the trial.

Dancing pays off

Despite the physical, emotional, and cognitive benefits of dancing, dance and music alone are not a cure-all. But they could be an effective tool for improving citizens' well-being without having to resort to "the immediate need for a pill," notes the research coordinator of the neurology department at the Hospital Universitario de la Princesa in Madrid. The benefits this would bring have already been quantified by many countries, which have demonstrated the savings from adding dance-related activities to their public health programs. This is the case in the United Kingdom and its Dance to health (Dancing for Health), a dance-based fall prevention program for older adults. The results, published in 2021, showed that falls had been reduced by 58%, implying a potential saving of more than £196 million – more than €226 million – over a two-year period, much of which would have a direct impact on National Health System (NHS) costs.

Regarding mental health, Sweden analyzed the cost-effectiveness of a dance intervention—two sessions per week for eight months—in addition to school-based health services, in adolescents at risk of being hospitalized for disorders such as anxiety or depression and who regularly visited their school's infirmary for psychotic symptoms. To measure the effects, quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) were used, a medical indicator that combines the length of life and the quality of life a person lives into a single measure. Thus, one year lived in perfect health is equivalent to one QALY, while one year with symptoms that halve quality of life would be equivalent to 0.5 QALYs.

The work, presented in 2013, concludes that the intervention represented a gain of 0.10 QALYs for the adolescents. In economic terms, the net cost per participant was $383 (approximately €327). When calculating the health cost-effectiveness, that is, the cost per QALY gained, the figure was $3,830 (approximately €3,300) after 20 months. To put this into context: in Spain, a treatment is considered cost-effective if the cost per QALY is below €21,000–€24,000. The dance intervention fell well below that threshold, demonstrating that it was a highly effective and measurable strategy for the adolescents' mental health.

"We must dance" because it is an activity "necessary for individual and collective health," but also to provide alternatives to an overmedicalized society, argues Rubén López-Cano.