When you’re at a wedding reception and dancing begins, do you break into a sweat at the very idea of dancing, or do you kick off your shoes? If you’re the latter, your ability to loosen up may be more important than your ability to break into a cha-cha slide.
New research from scientists at the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Germany sheds light on how dancing is associated with different personality traits.
The study examined data from a large group: 5,435 individuals from Sweden and 574 from Germany, focusing on key traits like openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
The study found that both amateur and professional dancers tend to have lower levels of neuroticism compared with those who don’t dance. They also tend to be more agreeable, open, and extroverted, aligning with similar findings in studies that looked at musicians.
Compared with musicians, dancers are not more neurotic, but — on the contrary — less neurotic than people who do not dance.
Also noteworthy: The type of dance matters as much as the dancing itself. For example, swing dancers showed lower neuroticism levels than Latin and ballroom dancers, suggesting that dance styles might shape our personalities in distinct ways.
Looking ahead, researchers plan to broaden their work to include a larger group of dancers from diverse cultures and styles.
And while no one is suggesting we’re all meant to be Fred Astaire, dancing is one way of engaging in a meaningful social and creative activity with potential psychological benefits — whether you’d consider yourself neurotic or not.
(upbeat music) Here's today's edition of Health in a Heartbeat. When your at a wedding reception and dancing begins, do you break into a sweat at the very idea of dancing, or do you kick off your shoes? If you're the latter, your ability to loosen up may be more important than your ability to break into a cha cha slide. New research from scientists at the Max Planck Institute for empirical aesthetics in Germany sheds light on how dancing is associated with different personality traits. The study examined data from a large group, 5,435 individuals from Sweden and 574 from Germany, focusing on key traits like openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and eroticism. The study found that both amateur and professional dancers tend to have lower levels of neuroticism compared with those who don't dance. They also tend to be more agreeable, open, and extroverted, aligning with similar findings and studies that looked at musicians. Compared with musicians, dancers are not more neurotic, but on the contrary, less neurotic than people who do not dance. Also noteworthy, the type of dance matters as much as the dancing itself. For example, swing dancers showed lower neuroticism levels than Latin and ballroom dancers, suggesting that dance styles might shape our personalities in distinct ways. Looking ahead, researchers plan to broaden their work to include a larger group of dancers from diverse cultures and styles. And while no one is suggesting we're all meant to be Fred Astaire, dancing is one way of engaging in a meaningful social and creative activity with potential psychological benefits, whether you consider yourself neurotic or not. This edition of Health and a Heartbeat is brought to you by University of Florida Health, committed to advancing excellence in patient care research and education, and by WUFTFM. For more information or to subscribe to our weekly e-newsletter, please visit our website, heartbeatradio.org. (upbeat music) (upbeat music) [MUSIC PLAYING]
