Dance Has Positive Effects on Depression: Study

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Did you know that dancing has positive effects on depression? Studies have found that dancing can help improve mood, reduce stress and anxiety, and promote a positive self-image. So if you’re feeling down, why not give dancing a try?

There are plenty of different types of dances to choose from, so you’re sure to find one that suits you. And who knows—maybe you’ll even start to enjoy it.

A new study from the University of Eastern Finland has released an avatar-based dance choreography illustrating the narratives of six study participants regarding their desired futures. The hope is that people can find the good in everyday life through dance and that it may help people deal with issues and events through movement without using words.

Senior Researcher Hanna Pohjola found evidence in earlier studies that dance can help free a person from illness and help them view their condition differently. She specifically found that within a dance company where all of its dancers were diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the role of the dancer was emphasized, and the disease was reduced to the background.

In an article on the research on the university’s website, Pohjola said, “A similar phenomenon can also be seen in our depression study as well. The participants identified themselves as dancers first, and dance took priority over other things.”

For the study analyzing the relationship between dance and depression, each participant had a collaboratively produced dance narrative that was based on the participants’ own stories and their narration through dance. Named Minuina (“As Me”), the dance choreography paints a picture of the desired future through movement.

The process of performing a dance to help with depression hasn’t been studied much yet, but this new research is paving the way to understanding more. Researchers hope to learn more about the activation of the mirror neuron system in the brain through dance. Mirror neurons are neurons that react to sounds, movements, expressions, and gestures and mimic what another person is doing and feeling. This is why they’re also called empathy neurons.

When a person sees a dance genre that’s familiar to the viewer, the mirror neuron system is activated. In this study, they were activated by the participants recognizing their own movements being performed by the avatar. This brain activity could offer more insight into how dance could help with mental health and cognition.

Sarah Cownley has a diploma in nutritional therapy from the Health Sciences Academy in London, England, and enjoys helping others by teaching healthy lifestyle changes through her personal consultations and with her regular contributions to the Doctors Health Press. This article was originally published on Belmarrahealth.com.