We can all easily come to conclusion that dance is good exercise. In a sedentary world, dancing gets us up on our feet, away from a computer, and tuning our muscles to beautiful, and often energetic, movement. We are also firm believers that dancing is fun and can bring us joy and a deep sense of accomplishment.
On top of these benefits, it looks like participating in frequent dance can also make you smarter and help ward of dementia. But you don’t have to take our word for those last statements. A 21-year research study published in The New England Journal of Medicine cites dancing as a powerful tool for maintaining the strength of cognitive function, and of warding off dementia better than many other physical activities. We think that’s pretty great!
What it is about dance that makes it so good for the brain? Well, besides the serotonin increase from exercise, learning new things is good for our brains. Trying out new steps, patterns, and especially working as a team can have powerful effects. Add that to the ability and need to make split-second decisions and you increase the neural synapses (mental pathways) in your brain.
While there is still much to be discovered in this area of research, we are fascinated by the implications and how they can be used in the future. Whatever they do find, we could have told you all along that dance has a multitude of benefits. So, why don’t you give it a try and see what benefits you find from joining our dance family? Increased intelligence or not, we are sure you’ll find something to love.