Dancing can do even more than sport to combat anxiety, stress and depression. Studies have shown that it can reduce mental fatigue and boost self-awareness and well-being.
Approximately 280 million people in the world have depression.
This marks an increase of 28% since 2020. It is one of the main causes of mental disorders and disabilities for which pharmacological treatments are most requested.
“For combating depression, dancing is even better than exercise”
This is the advice from Le Monde, which in a recent article highlighted the recommendations regarding the benefits of physical activity shared by the World Health Organization (WHO).
Treatment through sport
There is growing scientific evidence of the health benefits of exercise, especially for mental health. Walking, running, swimming and strength training do more than just keep you physically fit.
It’s all about the combination of the body and mind: well-being is directly proportional to the quality of your professional experiences, relationships, free time, and connection with the built and natural environments. Sport encapsulates all of these aspects.
This is confirmed by a recent review published in the British Medical Journal, which systematically examined the growing number of studies in the field. It analysed 218 of them and compared the effectiveness of exercise for treating major depressive disorder with psychotherapy and antidepressants.
Some types of exercise even proved to be more effective than selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. In total, there were 14,170 participants in the studies included in the review. They showed that regular exercise such as walking, jogging, yoga, aerobic exercise and strength training led to a decrease in depressive symptoms. The effects were proportional to the intensity of the exercise prescribed and they were stronger for group exercise. The study revealed that biological variables such as sex and age can have an impact on the effectiveness of exercise as a means of combating depression.
Dancing: art and well-being
More and more is being done to examine dance, but currently the number of studies and participants remains low. Nonetheless, dance appears to be a promising treatment for depression, with greater effects compared to other types of exercise. Dance is a form of art and expression, but first and foremost it is a psychophysiological activity with an important regenerative function that can promote awareness and well-being.
Dancing can foster engagement and promote psychological relaxation, helping to reduce anxiety and stress, while strengthening a sense of identity and psychological well-being. Moving in synchrony with other people has been linked with the release of the same endorphins involved in social bonding, which dancing can strengthen through cooperative behaviour.
The interpersonal contact often involved in dancing has been linked to beneficial effects such as improved homeostatic regulation and immunoregulation, body image and awareness towards others in space.
In specifically cognitive terms, dance requires planning of movements and a multitasking memory to learn routines, so it has neuroprotective effects and helps to prevent age-related neurodegeneration and increase resting-state activity in the areas of the frontal and temporal lobes responsible for memory and cognitive functions.
Dance and mental health
Another recent systematic review published in Sports Medicine by a group of doctors from the University of Sydney (Australia) specifically investigated the effectiveness of dance on psychological and cognitive health compared with other forms of physical activity. It presents the evidence collected from 1,392 participants, including 944 women. Various population groups were represented, including healthy people and those with Parkinson’s disease, cerebral palsy, fibromyalgia, musculoskeletal pain, cancer or other chronic diseases.
The studies reported the effects on three age groups. In children, dance proved more effective than other forms of exercise at reducing negative psychological symptoms such as somatization (i.e. distress arising from perceptions of bodily dysfunction) and hostility (i.e. thoughts, feelings and actions that are characteristic of the negative affect state of anger).
The work also confirmed that in adults (17-54 years old), dance was more effective than other physical activities at improving cognitive functions such as memory and also reducing stress and depressive symptoms.
In older adults (55 years and over), the specific benefits of dance compared with other forms of physical activity lie in enhanced visual recall and verbal fluency and the development of greater intrinsic motivation and perceived competence.
Dancing bodies for dancing minds
In an ageing society which is seeing a rise in depression and the (ab)use of psychiatric medications, dance can present a sound means of promoting cognitive development, forging connections and lifelong prevention of distress. It can help to stimulate and/or strengthen both cognitive functions (especially memory) and social bonds, especially through physical contact, which also paves the way to enhanced body image and awareness.
Using dance as a form of therapy presents interesting possibilities not only for patients but also for healthcare workers, in systems that are increasingly short on economic and human resources.
The evidence regarding the effectiveness of dance therapy underlines its sustainability and there are also established initiatives that set an important example. For instance, DanceWell supports inclusive dance projects for people living with Parkinson’s disease or other movement disorders, aiming to improve their skills, competences, knowledge and well-being.
The World Health Organization has estimated that every pound invested in arts on prescription or social prescribing has an economic return of £2.30.
However, a more in-depth examination needs to be made of studies into how physical exercise is prescribed in the everyday lives of people with depression, given the physical, psychological and social complexity of the situation. Regular training for healthcare workers should be promoted in order to give an integrated response to these disorders.
By harnessing the potential and dealing with the critical issues outlined above, the experiences and data collected could inspire the development of a social, multi-dimensional approach to combating depression, making it more comprehensive and less stigmatized.
On this front, in 2023 Turin promoted a city-wide, grassroots festival called “BallaTorino” in order to bring people closer to dance in the places that are part of their everyday lives, from the city centre to the suburbs, and from schools to hospitals and care homes. The goal of the initiative was to shine the spotlight on schools and associations that promote dance, encouraging people to get involved, share and connect. Dancing bodies for dancing minds.
Catterina Seia (President of CCW – Cultural Welfare Centre) and Marta Reichlin (PhD, Cultural Welfare Centre (CCW), Research Area)
