Dancing Makes Us Smarter – Here’s How!

Neuroscientists are continually exploring how dancing benefits us – not only our bodies but also our minds as well.

If we want to stay mentally fit, we need to challenge our brains. Findings reveal that even dancing as a hobby (taking weekly classes, for example) can have important benefits for our cognition and the development of our intelligence. Why? Because it makes comprehensive demands on our brain.

The more we move – i.e., the more we have experiences involving movements and observe them – the more our cognitive skills improve. This occurs because more complex neural networks are formed in our brain in doing so. A neural network is a population of biological neurons chemically connected to each other by synapses, i.e., the places where neurons connect and communicate with each other.

When we dance, we repeat movements which activate the nerve cells to make more connections. As we mirror or imitate movements, we learn to synchronize and harmonize our movements with those of others. Online dance training is one of the best ways to achieve this with its unobstructed view of the body in motion.

Dancing also improves attention and responsiveness as well as improving memory and even increasing creativity.

Ballet is a dance form that is particularly suited to the foregoing. The training of both sides of the body simultaneously serves the functions of support and activity. This truly strengthens both body and mind.

Time to get off the couch and start dancing. It will enhance your life!

For further reading: Dancing is the Best Medicine by Julia F. Christensen & Dong-Seon Chang (2021).