For centuries, dance manuals and other writings have
lauded the health benefits of dancing, usually as physical exercise. More
recently, we have seen research on further health benefits of dancing, such as
stress reduction and increased serotonin level, with its sense of well-being.
Then most recently, we have heard of another
benefit: Frequent dancing apparently makes us smarter. A major study
added to the growing evidence that stimulating one’s mind can ward off
Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the
body fit. Dancing also increases cognitive acuity at all ages.
You may have heard about the New England Journal of
Medicine report on the effects of recreational activities on mental acuity
in aging. Here it is in a nutshell.
The 21-year study of senior citizens, 75 and older, was
led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the
National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of
Medicine. Their method for objectively measuring mental acuity in aging
was to monitor rates of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease.
The study wanted to see if any physical or cognitive
recreational activities influenced mental acuity. They discovered that
some activities had a significant beneficial effect. Other activities had
none.
They studied cognitive activities such as reading books,
writing for pleasure, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards and playing
musical instruments. And, they studied physical activities like playing
tennis or golf, swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking for exercise and doing
housework.
One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of
the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against
dementia. There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of
this study was the mind. There was one important exception: the only
physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.
* Reading – 35% reduced risk of dementia
* Bicycling and swimming – 0%
* Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week – 47%
* Playing golf – 0%
* Dancing frequently – 76%.
That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity
studied, cognitive or physical.
Quoting Dr. Joseph Coyle, a Harvard Medical School
psychiatrist who wrote an accompanying commentary:
“The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use.”
“The cerebral cortex and hippocampus, which are critical to these activities, are remarkably plastic, and they rewire themselves based upon their use.”
And from the study itself, Dr. Katzman proposed these
persons are more resistant to the effects of dementia as a result of having
greater cognitive reserve and increased complexity of neuronal synapses. Like
education, participation in some leisure activities lowers the risk of dementia
by improving cognitive reserve.
Our brain constantly rewires its neural pathways, as
needed. If it does not need to, then it will not.
Aging and memory
When brain cells die and synapses weaken with aging, our
nouns go first, like names of people, because there is only one neural pathway
connecting to that stored information. If the single neural connection to
that name fades, we lose access to it. So as we age, we learn to parallel
process, to come up with synonyms to go around these roadblocks.
The key here is Dr. Katzman’s emphasis on the complexity
of our neuronal synapses. More is better. Do whatever you can to
create new neural paths. The opposite of this is taking the same old well-worn
path over and over again, with habitual patterns of thinking and living our
lives.
The perfect analogy to this may be:
The more stepping-stones there are across
the creek, the easier it is to cross in your own style.
The focus of that aphorism is creative thinking, to find
as many alternative paths as possible to a creative solution. But as we
age, parallel processing becomes more critical. Now it is no longer a
matter of style, it is a matter of survival — getting across the creek at
all. Randomly dying brain cells are like stepping stones being removed
one by one. Those, who had only one well-worn path of stones, are
completely blocked when some are removed. But those who spent their lives
trying different mental routes each time, creating a myriad of possible paths,
still have several paths left.
The Albert Einstein College of Medicine study shows that
we need to keep as many of those paths active as we can, while also generating
new paths, to maintain the complexity of our neuronal synapses.
Why dancing?
We immediately ask two questions:
1. Why is
dancing better than other activities for improving mental capabilities?
2. Does this
mean all kinds of
dancing, or is one kind of dancing better than another?
That is where this particular study falls short. It does
not answer these questions as a stand-alone study. Fortunately, it is not
a stand-alone study. It is one of many studies, over decades, which have shown
that we increase our mental capacity by exercising our cognitive
processes. Intelligence: Use it or lose it. And, it’s the other studies
which fill in the gaps in this one. Looking at all of these studies
together lets us understand the bigger picture.
Some of the approaches are viewed as a part of the intelligence
in dancing framework. The essence of intelligence is making decisions. And
the concluding advice, when it comes to improving your mental acuity, is
to involve yourself in activities which require split-second rapid-fire
decision making, as opposed to rote memory (retracing the same well-worn
paths), or just working on your physical style.
One way to do that is to learn something new. Not just
dancing, but anything new. Do not worry about the probability that you will
never use it in the future. Take a class to challenge your mind. It
will stimulate the connectivity of your brain by generating the need for new
pathways. Difficult and even frustrating classes are better for you, as they
will create a greater need for new neural pathways.
Then take a dance class, which can be even better.
Dancing integrates several brain functions at once, increasing your
connectivity. Dancing simultaneously involves kinesthetic, rational,
musical and emotional processes.
What kind of
dancing?
Let us go back to the study:
Bicycling, swimming
or playing golf – 0% reduced risk of dementia
Why, does not golf require rapid-fire
decision-making? No, not if you are a long-time player. You made most
of the decisions when you first started playing, years ago. Now the game
is mostly refining your technique. It can be good physical exercise, but the
study showed it led to no improvement in mental acuity.
Therefore, do the kinds of dance where you must make as
many split-second decisions as possible. That is a key to maintaining true
intelligence.
Does any kind of dancing lead to increased mental
acuity? No, not all forms of dancing will produce this benefit. Not
dancing which, like golf or swimming, mostly works on style or retracing the
same memorized paths. The key is the decision-making. The
intelligence, including dancing intelligence, is what we use when we do not
already know what to do.
We wish that 25 years ago the Albert Einstein College of
Medicine thought of doing side-by-side comparisons of different kinds of
dancing, to find out, which was better. But we can figure it out by
looking at who they studied: senior citizens 75 and older,
beginning in 1980. Those who danced in that particular population were
former Roaring Twenties dancers (back in 1980) and then former Swing Era
dancers (today), so the kind of dancing most of them continued to do in
retirement was what they began when they were young: freestyle social dancing —
basic foxtrot, swing, waltz and maybe some Latin.
Well, I am a fan of free-form dancing. Should this be
considered as benefiting the brain activities, if we do not need to follow the
particular steps and patterns? Definitely,
yes! Freestyle dancing is not that simple as it looks like! It requires a
lot of split-second decision-making, in both the lead and follow roles.
There is nothing wrong in memorized sequence dancing or
style-focused pattern-based ballroom dancing as there are stress-reduction
benefits of any kind of dancing, cardiovascular benefits of physical exercise,
and even further benefits of feeling connected to a community of dancers.
So all dancing is good. But, when it comes to preserving mental acuity, then
some forms are significantly better than others. When we talk of intelligence
(use it or lose it) then the more decision-making we can bring into our
dancing, the better.
Who benefits more,
women or men?
In social dancing, the follow role automatically gains a
benefit, by making hundreds of split-second decisions as to what to do
next. Actually, women do not simply “follow”, they interpret the
signals their partners are giving them, and this requires intelligence and decision-making,
which is active, not passive. This benefit is greatly enhanced by dancing
with different partners, not always with the same fellow. With different
dance partners, you have to adjust much more and be aware of more
variables. This is great for staying smarter longer. Therefore, when we
talk on the free form dance, when every next dance is created from a new, the
benefits are enormous.
Men also are able to offer the huge degree of
decision-making if they choose to do so. Notice your
partner, and what works best for her. Notice what is comfortable for her,
where she is already going, which moves are successful with her and what
aren’t, and constantly adapt your dancing to these observations. That is
rapid-fire split-second decision making. Do not lead the same old patterns the
same way each time. Challenge yourself to try new things. Make more decisions
more often. Intelligence: use it or lose it.
You even do not need a partner to create your artwork
dance every time you start. While you lose certain degree on cooperation and
interpersonal non-verbal communication, you can express yourself fully, not
having restriction, your partner may impose on you.
Dance often
Finally, remember that this study made another
suggestion: do it often. Seniors who did crossword puzzles four days a
week had a measurably lower risk of dementia than those who did the puzzles
once a week. If you cannot take classes or go out dancing four times a
week, then dance as much as you can. More is better.
Moreover, do it now, the sooner the better. It is
essential to start building your cognitive reserve now. Some day you will
need as many of those stepping-stones across the creek as possible. Do not
wait — start building them now.
Additional
benefits
Emotional Benefits
Dancers can find the emotional expression required in
class, an effective way to release tension and stress. The social aspect of
dance classes, can significantly improve:
* Self-confidence
* Self-esteem
* Social skills
* Physical touch
Saving Joints
Seniors suffering from knee or hip pains may benefit from
dancing, according to a recent study published in the journal Geriatric
Nursing. Researchers from Saint Louis University examined the effects of
dancing on a group of 34 seniors over the age of 80, and older adults who had
arthritis or stiffness of the hips and knees reported significant decreases in
pain.
To determine whether dancing specifically was beneficial
for seniors, researchers divided them into two groups: one that participated in
dancing programs and another that conducted other activities. Those who were in
the dancing group reported improved movement and functioning, even months after
participation. Jean Krampe, lead author and professor of nursing at Saint Louis
University, explained that seniors who danced experienced emotional benefits as
well.
"After dancing several months they reported less
pain and were able to walk faster," Krampe said, as quoted by American
News Report. "... Those in the dance group talked about how much they
loved it. It's exercise, but it’s fun."
Boosting Balance
A separate study conducted by researchers from the
Federal University of Rio de Janeiro found that seniors who regularly
participated in ballroom dancing reported improved balance and were less likely
to fall. According to Reuters, researchers noted that seniors who participated
in this form of dance improved their balance by 50 percent. Eliane Gomes da
Silva Borges, the lead author of the study, said ballroom moves allow seniors
to spin and balance in ways that effectively boost brain and body strength.
"To be able to see the elderly dancing and spinning
with autonomy, balance and a cognitive awareness of their space and body helped
us understand ways to join useful exercise with a pleasant activity," she
said, according to Reuters.
The source noted that participants in this study were all
residents of a local retirement community and led, for the most part, sedentary
lives. However, even for those who had not regularly participated in physical
activities in the past, the benefits were significant.
Other Physical
Benefits
Dance classes provide an effective and balanced workout
and most muscles within the body are used. Quick, high-energy steps, giving a
full aerobic workout are complimented with slower, graceful moves, which tone
the muscles. Dance improves posture, stamina, agility and flexibility,
strengthening the body’s core muscles.
Studies have also shown that dancing can reduce the risk
of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes.
Sources and Additional
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