We have a neurotic world today, for sure.
Perhaps being human has always been anxiety-provoking.
What might make us happier? Lighter? Besides oxytocin up our noses?
Dancing!
According to a study led by researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics (MPIEA) in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, both amateur and professional dancers are less neurotic than people who do not dance.
They are also more agreeable, more open, and more extraverted.
But genre of dance matters.
Swing dancers, for example, seemed to be even less neurotic than Latin and Standard dancers.
However, say these authors, more research is needed. With larger samples of dancers. (That’s what almost every single study since the beginning of pubmed.gov tends to say and here it is yet again, but with dance, ha!)
Sign me up!
Dancers appear to be more agreeable, more open, and more extroverted.
These researchers analyzed data from 5,435 people from Sweden and 574 people from Germany, with regards to their Big Five Personality Traits "Openness,""Conscientiousness,""Extraversion,""Agreeableness," and "Neuroticism."
They used two large dancer versus non-dancer samples from two different countries. .
In Sweden, the research team was able to rely on an existing database that included data about peoples' creative engagement and dance achievements.
In Germany, the researchers developed an online survey that was widely shared by dance institutions.
Previous research has found that musicians are more agreeable and more open to others than non-musicians.
We should, like Europe, teach dance in schools. Not just math and history.
Knowledge is power. But can also be fun.
I’m a country and a west coast swing dancer.
That’s me last year, 2023, when was a key note at a Canadian pharmaceutical convention. Sponsored by the ever amazing PCCA company.
Heard there was a huge dance party if I stayed over one more night I might make it.
Had to join their local club online. Then reached out to members.
Lyft or Uber works in Canada just like here. Yay!
Got to dance with this amazing dance champion (pic above).
Dr. B.
Reference:
The dancer personality: Comparing dancers and non-dancers in Germany and Sweden. Personality and Individual Differences, 2024; 222: 112603 DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2024.112603
Good Golly Miss Molly!