Dancing Is the Best Medicine: The Science of How Moving To a Beat Is Good for Body, Brain, and Soul

by Julia F. Christensen, Dong-Seon Chang

Overview

“Lively and enlightening.”—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post

“[A] zippy guide to better health.”—Publisher’s Weekly STARRED Review

Discover why humans were designed for dancing—and learn how to boogie for better health—with two neuroscientists as your guide.

Dancing is one of the best things we can do for our health. In this groundbreaking and fun-to-read book, two neuroscientists (who are also competitive dancers) draw on their cutting-edge research to

• reveal why humans are hardwired for dance
• show how to achieve optimal health through dancing
  

Taking readers on an in-depth exploration of movement and music, from early humans up until today, the authors show the proven benefits of dance for our heart, lungs, bones, nervous system, and brain. Readers will come away with a wide range of dances to try and a scientific understanding of how dance benefits almost every aspect of our lives.

• Dance prevents and manages illness and pain: such as Diabetes, arthritis, back pain, and Parkinson’s.
• Dance can be as effective as high intensity interval training: but without the strain on your joints and heart.
  
• Dance boosts immunity and lowers stress: it also helps reduce inflammation.
  
• Dance positively impacts the microbiome: and aids in digestion, weight loss, and digestive issues such as IBS.
  
• Dance bolsters the mind-body connection: helping us get in tune with our bodies for better overall health.
  

We’re lucky that one of the best things we can do for our health is also one of the most fun. And the best part: dance is something anyone can do. Old or young, injured or experiencing chronic pain, dance is for everyone, everywhere.

So, let’s dance!

Types of dance featured in the book:

• Partner dance (salsa, swing dancing, waltz)
• Ballet
• Hip hop
  
• Modern
  
• Jazz
  
• Line dancing
  
• Tap dancing
  
• And more!
  

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781771646345
Publisher:	Greystone Books
Publication date:	10/26/2021
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	452,296
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

Julia F. Christensen, Ph.D., studied psychology and neuroscience in Spain, France, and the UK and received her Ph.D. from the University of the Balearic Islands. Reports on her research into dance and the brain are published widely including in the New York Times. Based in London, she loves to dance the tango.

Dong-Seon Chang, Ph.D., studied cognitive science at Rutgers and received his Ph.D. from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics at Tübingen. He is a popular TV presenter and speaker, and the winner of several science slams. Based in Seoul, he loves to swing dance.

Table of Contents

A Note From the Authors 9

Prologue 12

Chapter 1 Solo Dance-Rhythm I Cannot Resist 17

We need this. This is not a luxury-it is a necessity. Sir Simon Rattle

The Success Story of Dance 18

Magic Rhythm 23

Born to Dance 31

End of the Line: Prom 34

The Pony Farm Dance 43

Chapter 2 Partner Dance-Do You Speak Dance? 51

Dance is Esperanto with your whole body. Fred Astaire

Something in the Way She Moves 52

Mirror Dancing 55

May I Have This Dance? 65

The Search for a Partner 70

To Lead and Be Led 76

Chapter 3 Group Dance-The Social Benefits of Dancing 82

Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. Ted Shawn

Dancing for the Feeling of Community 83

Moving With the Times 89

Team Spirit 94

Chapter 4 Dancing for the Body-Dance as an Elixir of Life 97

[When I dance], I sort of disappear, I feel a change in my whole body… there's fire in my body… I'm just there… I'm flying like a bird, like electricity. From the Film Billy Elliot

I Like to Move It, Move It! 98

A Very Special Nerve 101

Music in Our Head 105

Body Perception 110

Dancing Makes Us Smart 114

Chapter 5 Prescribe Dance, Not Drugs 122

Wherever the dancer steps, a fountain of life will spring from the dust. Rumi

The Effects of Dance on Our Heart and Immune System 123

Back and Joints 128

Weight Loss 133

Chapter 6 Dancing as Therapy 139

If life brings you to your knees, do the limbo dance. Anonymous

Dancing Our Emotions 140

Dancing Away Your Inner Couch Potato 147

Stress: Bitten by the Spider 153

Against Anxiety 160

Depressed? Dance It Out! 164

If One of Our Senses Is Missing 171

Chapter 7 Young and Old-Dancing at Any Age 177

On with the dance! Let joy be unconfined. Lord Byron

Dancing to Protect Against Memory Loss: Dementia 182

Parkinson's Disease 186

Dancing for Children 189

Chapter 8 Dance Does Even More-Let's Laugh, Cry, and Dance 194

Sometimes you get lucky and find a soul that dances to the same beat as you do. Anonymous

This Is Also About Sex 195

Nice to Meet You 201

Enjoying Dance From a Distance 206

Integration and "Accep-dance" 219

Let's Dance 227

Chapter 9 Dance Test: Which Style Fits Me? 230

You got to dance like nobody's watchin'. Susanna Clark

It Has to Fit 230

Checklist: What Do You Need for a Dance Class? 233

May I? Dance! 234

Acknowledgments 254

Sources 258

Index of Health Concerns and Dances 299

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/01/2021

Neuroscientists Christensen and Chang take a look at the benefits of dancing in this zippy guide to better health. They make a solid case that dancing can improve problem-solving skills, help the body relax, increase socialization, and strengthen one’s sense of community. They also describe the positive impact of dance on heart health, joint strength, and weight loss, and suggest that the progression of conditions such as dementia and Parkinson’s disease may be slowed by dance. A “Dance Test” rounds things out and helps readers find a style to suit them: ballet is best for solo dancers, Argentine tango suits creative improvisers, and modern dance is great for those looking to express their feelings. Christensen and Chang are “dancers by night” and consider their subject as both scientists and participants, offering plenty of fun anecdotes, such as when Christensen was a child and missed her pony, she would perform a special dance to Simon & Garfunkel’s “Bridge over Troubled Waters,” despite not understanding the lyrics. Readers looking for a prompt to get their bodies moving would do well to start here. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

Lively and enlightening.”
—Washington Post

“Neuroscientists Christensen and Chang take a look at the benefits of dancing in this zippy guide to better health... Readers looking for a prompt to get their bodies moving would do well to start here.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED review

“Dancing truly is a vehicle for joy, vitality, and healing, and Dancing Is the Best Medicine is full of inspiration for anyone who loves to dance, wants to dance, or hopes to encourage others to dance.”
—Kelly McGonigal, best-selling author of The Joy of Movement

“This book is a rich tapestry that makes dance central to a healthy life. Refreshingly down-to-earth and practical.”
—Professor Helen Payne, Ph.D., author and dance movement psychotherapist

“Dance is powerful, affecting our physicality, our thoughts and emotions ... and our brains. This enjoyable book translates the neuroscience of dancing into everyday language, making this body of knowledge accessible to all.”
—Professor Vicky Karkou, dance movement psychotherapist

“A thoughtful and inspiring gift to share with humanity, especially now. Christensen and Dong illuminate the positive impacts dance can have on all facets of our lives.”
—Rhonda Roberts Smid, Owner of TAB Fitness and Board Member of Healthy Dancer Canada

From the Publisher