Physical Expression

We know that any activity producing a modicum of sweat is going to have surprising neurological benefits. But another beneficial, perhaps neglected practice is dancing. Dancing is exercise, but it is not goal directed, not arbitrary and abstract in the way that a bicep curl or a ten-second sprint is. Dancing can be lyrical, expressive, joyful, sociable, exhilarating— it’s the ability to move the body poetically, and to gain pleasure from the sheer privilege of being alive and able to move and breathe.

Dancing is a hobby, a passion and an art, but it can be so much more than that.

Rhythmically moving the body to sounds and responding dynamically to music is not just fun, it may be extremely good for your health, too. When you dance, you’re engaging in cardiovascular exercise, you’re breathing deeply, and maybe even breaking a sweat. We know this second part is always beneficial to our mental and cognitive health, but the part about expression and creativity cannot be understated. Engaging in artistic activity lifts you emotionally.

In fact, dance is increasingly employed as a therapy for alleviating the symptoms of depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses. Dancing is the whole package— when you move this way, you’re engaging your emotional, physical and mental self.

Your body moves and your heart beats. You smile and feel great, uplifted by the beat and enjoying your partner dancing with you, if you have one.

If you’re taking a dance class, maybe you have to focus on dance moves and pay close attention to coordinate your motor functions properly so you can execute complex movements, right on time with the music. And, if you’re a real dance enthusiast, you may even experience an ecstatic moment of selflessness, of total flow and absorption in the moment, more closely resembling prayer or deep meditation than a boring old treadmill workout.

In Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), the physical movement of the body is understood as a language in its own right, able to communicate and express our experience just as well as words. Dance is a way to remind ourselves that we all possess this vocabulary. The interesting thing is that when we reconnect with our physical selves this way and “change channels,” our cognitive functioning only benefits. Stress levels are reduced, endorphins are released and we reap the emotional, social and even spiritual benefits of having explored our full range of human expression. Along with this come feelings of freedom, liberation, confidence, and self-assuredness.

Multiple studies have shown that dance can improve memory and general cognitive function, specifically boosting spatial and working memory. Verghese and his colleagues at Albert Einstein College of Medicine even found a 76 percent drop in risk of dementia onset when their participants danced regularly. Other studies show that dancing can also reduce the symptoms of depression. We already know that maintaining physical activity as we age is vital for keeping motor and mental skills intact, but a more holistic practice like dancing can also boost mood, perceptual abilities, memory and other cognitive skills.

On top of all that, it can be a deeply rewarding artistic or social practice.

It might seem like a tall order, but dancing does all of this by stimulating nerve growth factors in the brain (BDNF, as we have covered). These factors are responsible for the health of sensory neurons. Essentially, dancing enhances the connections between the cerebral hemispheres—the left and right parts of the brain—and thus boosts neuroplasticity, which in turn bolsters the ability to make new neural connections.

Naturally, this is great news for anyone trying to enhance their ability to change and adapt their brains—i.e., learning new things! Though dance is now being used to treat degenerative neurological conditions like stroke and cerebral palsy, you can reap the benefits too. Don’t worry if you’re uncoordinated or feel like you’re not “good” at dancing. All that’s required is that you move (it won’t hurt to try and enjoy yourself either) in a way that satisfies you emotionally—that makes you feel free- spirited and uninhibited.

If you’re studying for an exam, you may get more benefit from taking a dance break than trying to cram an extra twenty minutes in. In this way, you are activating different parts of your brain, increasing blood flow to your brain, creating a vivid memory, and simply waking up.

If you’re shy, put on some loud music when you’re home alone, draw the curtains and let go in complete darkness. You could actively imagine your brain making all its wonderful connections between the music, your breathing, your heart rate, and the movement of your muscles. Make it a “moving meditation” or simply kick back and do whatever you want, so long as it makes you feel good. You may find yourself energized both physically and psychologically by the time you sit back down to study again.

A long-term dance practice may be as beneficial as yoga. Join a dance group you like the look of—why not try a class in ballet, tap, salsa, ballroom, hip hop or something completely different, like Tahitian hula. If choreography is not your idea of fun, try freeform dance classes that encourage expression and spontaneous movement, like Biodanza.

This is movement that’s less about choreography and more about lived, real physical expression in the moment. You forget about the office, about your worries, about everything, and simply sink into the music, letting your body take the lead for once. Yes, you may feel silly at first, but once you drop the self-consciousness, your brain will thank you. If that’s a little too out there for you, why not just head out with some friends to a place where you can simply feel the music and get lost in a crowd? “Ecstatic dancing” may sound very serious indeed, but it’s nothing more than taking a few deep breaths, feeling the music inside and allowing your body to respond to it, as it will.

Like with yoga, you may find it tempting to try to pinpoint exactly what part of the act is truly blessing your brain. Is it the artistic creativity, the sense of liberation, the physical sweat aspect, or the emotional satiation that often follows? Well, it’s all of them, and they all work together. The body is the brain, and we forget this at our own peril.