Dancing helps depression

Can Dancing Improve Your Mental Health?

Written by WebMD Editorial Contributors

Medically Reviewed by Dan Brennan, MD on October 25, 2021

Benefits

Dancing offers plenty of benefits for your emotions, intelligence, and relationships. Learning and practicing dance can:

Improve self-esteem. The amount that you respect and value yourself is your self-esteem. Showing yourself that you can learn and master new moves and skills through dance can improve your self-esteem and confidence.

Help you meet new people. Social interaction between groups of people is important to your mental well-being. Talking and spending time with others improves your mood. It also makes you feel like you belong and eases loneliness.

Dance classes, where you learn and move alongside others, are a great way to gain these mental health benefits.

Improve your mood and attitude. Dancing can improve your mood while you learn, move, and perform. In fact, many people take dance classes because they put them in a good mood.

Ease depression and anxiety. Dance is an effective type of exercise that raises your heart rate and works your muscles. Exercise can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing certain chemicals in your brain. It also provides a way to escape repetitive negative thoughts and worries. These are thoughts that run through your mind over and over.

Protect your memory. As we age, it gets harder to remember names, places, and other details. Learning new things, like different moves and styles of dance, sharpens your brain’s ability to remember these kinds of details. This can help prevent dementia.

The mental advantages of dancing depend on the type of dance you learn. Styles like ballroom dancing require a large degree of improvisation. These improve your decision-making skills more than completely memorized movements and routines. On the other hand, interpretive modern dance styles offer more benefits for creativity.

Potential Risks

Injury. Just like any other form of exercise, dance involves risks of injury. Some of the most common injuries dancers get are to their hips, feet, ankles, and knees. Don’t overwork your body. Call your doctor if you have pain or soreness that keeps you awake at night, doesn’t go away, or gets worse when you’re dancing.

Self-consciousness. Even professional dancers sometimes feel self-conscious and insecure when trying different styles or learning new techniques. If you feel uncomfortable while learning something unfamiliar, try to focus on the movements themselves instead of how you think you look.

Tips on Using Dance to Improve Your Mental Well-Being

You can dance almost anywhere! Try many different styles and settings to see what you like best. Whether you’re alone or with a group, making it up on the spot, or performing a routine, you can incorporate dance into your life.

Take a dance class. If you want to interact with others while you dance, consider enrolling in a virtual or in-person class. Health clubs, community centers, schools, and other organizations often offer studio dance classes for all experience levels. A Google search for dance classes in your area will bring up your nearest options.

Dance with yourself. Dancing can be just as fun by yourself as it is with others. Turn on a catchy song and move your body to the beat and sounds. When no one is watching, it can be easier to enjoy the experience and not worry about how you look.

Learn a routine. If you want to challenge yourself, go beyond your improvised dance moves. Try teaching yourself a dance routine that someone else created. You can download apps or watch videos that explain a routine step-by-step. You can also learn movements and sequences from watching a dance performance over and over.

Don’t be overly critical. Many people dance for the sense of meaning that it brings to their lives. Natural talent is not required! Dance because it feels good. Don’t let your worries about looking silly stop you from having fun. Even professional dancers make mistakes. They use them to learn and improve themselves, and so should you.

Can Dancing Help with Depression?

The evidence looks promising: Dancing may help with depression symptoms. For many people, it provides a personal, profound experience that supports healing.

Depression can make it hard to engage in activities you once enjoyed. Engaging in soothing movements while dancing could boost your mood and improve your symptoms in some cases.

The formal symptoms of depression include:

low mood in the form of sadness, hopelessness, irritability, or anger
difficulty experiencing joy

trouble focusing
changes in sleeping and eating habits
unexplained aches and pains
fatigue and low motivation
feeling restless or moving and speaking slower than usual
thoughts of self-harm and death

If you live with these symptoms, you may not feel up to doing much, but some physical activity could actually make you feel better.

Yes, studies suggest that a regular dance practice, solo, in a group setting or with a dance therapist, can pair well with depression treatment.

A 2020 study, for example, found that dancing was an effective therapy for reducing symptoms of depression, ranked third out of seven physical activities behind tai chi and yoga.

A 2021 meta-analysis of 28 studies found that adults reported benefits for depression symptoms, stress, and anxiety after 2. 5 hours (or more) of dance intervention per week.

A dance intervention involves:

organized and structured bodily movements
playing of music
a therapeutic relationship with a practitioner

Dancing can also improve your cardiovascular health, promote the production of feel-good chemicals in the body, and help you connect with others.

What is dance therapy?

The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) defines dance therapy as “a psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual.”

Instead of talking about your feelings directly, the way you might do in a talk therapy session, a dance movement therapist will encourage you to express yourself using your body.

This could include:

focusing on breath work while you move
taking you through specific movements
mirroring your movements to promote empathy and connection

If you enjoy music of any kind, dancing can be a helpful strategy to boost your mood, let out energy, feel relaxed, and reduce stress, says Lauren Helper, a licensed clinical social worker in Winchester, Virginia.

She says this dancing could look like:

moving around your house to a song you enjoy
taking a dance class
going out dancing with your partner or friends

“The important part of movement is that it is enjoyable,” says Helper.

Dancing can have an effect on your mental health for many reasons, including:

Enhanced neurotransmitter activity

For some, depression symptoms are tied to reduced neurotransmitter activity in the brain. “Research has extensively tested the body and brain’s response to movement and shown that it can greatly impact one’s overall mental well-being,” explains Helper.

Dancing, like other forms of exercise, releases endorphins, giving you a mood boost during and after your workout. Research shows that even one session of exercise can provide benefits for depression, and dancing can be an excellent form of exercise.

Other studies suggest that music also helps release dopamine, another possible reason that dancing can feel like a powerful healing intervention.

Improved self-esteem

A small 2021 study of 27 people hospitalized with major depressive disorder found that a combination of medication and a dance program enhanced patients’ feelings of self-efficacy, compared to those who were only given medication.

Increased interest in activities

One challenge with depression is that it can reduce your interest in hobbies or activities that you used to love. Some research suggests that dancing may help with this.

A small 2021 study on adults over the age of 65 found that line dancing improved their depression symptoms, increased interest in activities, and enhanced how participants felt about their lives.

Enhanced mindfulness

Depression is often linked with rumination and intrusive thoughts. Perhaps you find yourself feeling negative about the past or having anxiety about the future.

Research shows that dancing can help to bring you into the present moment and into your body, which may temporarily free your mind from distressing thoughts. Dancing can be an excellent grounding exercise.

A 2021 study, for example, found that dancing more than once a week is associated with increased mindfulness, reduced distress, and improved quality of life.

Social bonding

Some older research suggests that group dancing, especially in synchronized movements, can promote the release of endorphins and enhance social bonding. Feeling connected with others may improve your mood.

Trauma recovery

Hardships and traumatic experiences can lead to depression symptoms in some people.

There is increasing evidence to suggest that trauma is stored in the body. Somatic interventions, like dancing, can help people “move” — literally, and figuratively — through difficult memories in order to heal.

As an example of this, a 2021 study of internally displaced persons (IDP) in Africa found that 8 weeks of African circle dance interventions, combined with two psychoeducation classes, improved depression symptoms.

While dancing is a healthy and helpful coping strategy, it isn’t a replacement for therapeutic support and treatment, says Helper.

“If you’re living with depression, it’s also recommended that you seek out mental health support from a licensed professional to help you manage your symptoms.”

Untreated depression may lead to more intense and lasting symptoms.

According to experts and research, dancing can help with depression symptoms. It can increase neurotransmitter activity in your brain, improve your self-esteem, and enhance your mindfulness, among other benefits.

While it can’t replace professional support, dancing can be a great compliment to your overall treatment plan.

Dancing for breakfast, dancing for lunch. Waltz will save you from depression | Healthy life | Health

05/06/2015 00:02

Elena Nechaenko

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

3322

AiF Health №18.

The desire to learn is inherited 04/30/2015

/ Samo Trebizan / Shutterstock.com

If you think that dance therapy is an invention of today, then you are deeply mistaken. Enough to remember the shamans. Whirling to the accompaniment of a tambourine, they drove various diseases out of people. This was done not only in the north, but also in the south. For example, in Abkhazia there was a special dance "Atlarchopa", which was used in the treatment of illness - the dance of St. Vitus. Patients (more often young girls suffered from this ailment) chose partners for themselves and danced with them until they fell unconscious. And after a few hours they came to themselves already healthy. Miracle? How to say. nine0005

An ordinary miracle

Psychoanalyst Wilhelm Reich , for example, who was the first to explain the phenomenon of the healing effect of dancing, argued that during the performance of various steps a protective shell falls off a person, which is formed due to muscle clamp. But movements to music affect not only muscles, but also consciousness, intellect, emotions. The fact is that in our brain, those areas that are responsible for motor function are located next to those that control thinking and feelings. By forcing muscles to work, we stimulate emotions. In addition, during dancing, hormones of happiness - endorphins - are released. No wonder, according to statistics, older dancers live much longer (and happier!) than people who think that dancing at their age is already indecent. nine0005

Just what the doctor ordered

Which dances should I sign up for? It depends not only on taste and temperament, but also on specific health problems. So.

Menstrual pain, sexual disorders. With such problems, latino is what you need. Having mastered the groovy mambo, erotic rumba or “coquette dance” cha-cha-cha, you will not only become the star of any dance floor, but also improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs, which will not slow down the positive impact on the health of the genital area. In addition, all movements in Latin dances are an excellent workout for the hip joints, which means the prevention of arthrosis. nine0005

Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. If you suffer from headaches, your fingers often go numb, one way out is to master flamenco . This proud, passionate dance of the Spanish gypsies trains perfect posture, makes the back straight and strong, improves the functioning of the cervical region, which is in a deplorable state for most of us.

Gynecological diseases, constipation, cellulitis, frigidity. With such a bouquet - a direct road to oriental dances . Belly dancing is one of the most physiological and beneficial for the female body. A deep soft massage of the internal organs stimulates the functioning of the intestines and pelvic organs, improves skin condition, strengthens the muscles of the perineum, which improves the quality of intimate life. In the dance, all parts of the spine are developed - from the back of the head to the coccyx. This makes the body more flexible, improves blood circulation and strengthens the body as a whole.

Motor clumsiness, or otherwise - problems with coordination of movements and poor posture . Useful Celtic dances and step. These dances improve the shape of the legs and even help correct their curvature. Clear movements will straighten the back, strengthen the heart and develop the joints.

Nerve problems, irritability, exhaustion. Those who wind up with a half turn just need to waltz regularly . Waltz strengthens the nervous system, stabilizes the deep structures of the brain responsible for the emotional sphere, and also trains the vestibular apparatus, improves coordination. nine0005

Hereditary tendency to Alzheimer's disease, risk of osteoporosis, depression. It has been proven that all ballroom dancing , and especially tango, help prevent the development of these dangerous diseases.

Depression, apathy, bad mood. And here any arbitrary movements are suitable for any energetic music to your liking. At the same time, it is not necessary to be a good dancer, because in order to express your feelings, your soul through dance, special data is not required. Let them look ridiculous from the side of the movement - it doesn’t matter. Dance! nine0005

Personal opinion

Edita Piekha :

– Dancing is movement. I think that it may well replace fitness. And if a person also really likes to dance, then the benefits will be even greater. This is a physical activity that helps burn calories and helps the body be in good shape.

dancing depression waltz

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Media news2

"Dance Somewhere in the World": Dancing as a Cure for Depression

Dance Movement Therapy is more than just dancing. It promotes a better understanding of your body, the connection of the physical and mental, and ultimately, overall well-being.

Unlike the more popular talking therapy, dance-movement therapy involves the whole body and works with the client on a non-verbal and more creative level. Physical sensations and thoughts are in constant interaction. The human body in motion is both a message and, at the same time, a channel through which it is transmitted. nine0005

A recent systematic review of research into movement and dance therapy found the practice to be particularly effective in treating depression in adults.

Another review included eight compelling studies, all of which demonstrated changes in brain structure after dance therapy. These changes included: an increase in the volume of the hippocampus and parahippocampus (responsible for memory), an increase in the volume of gray matter in the precentral gyrus (responsible for motor skills), and the integrity of the white matter in the corpus callosum (plays a role in the exchange of data between the left and right hemispheres).

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