Shall we dance? An exploration of the perceived benefits of dancing on well-being

Abstract

Past research has suggested positive influences of musical experiences on people's health and well-being. Empirical work has focused on musical activities such as listening and singing, while neglecting the potential effects of dancing. In the present study, 475 non-professional adult dancers completed an online survey, which sought to evaluate the participants' perceived benefits of dancing. Quantitative and qualitative analysis revealed that dancing has potential positive benefits on well-being in several aspects. In particular, beneficial effects were found related to the emotional dimension, as well as physical, social and spiritual dimensions. In addition, the positive benefits were also linked to self-esteem and coping strategies. This exploratory study constitutes a starting point in understanding the impact of amateur dancing on well-being and offers arguments for including dance on the agenda of health promotion. Directions for future research are also discussed.

Keywords:

• dancing
• well-being
• affect
• health benefits

Acknowledgements

This article was part of the research conducted for a doctoral thesis at the Goethe University Frankfurt am Main. The first author expresses her gratitude to the DAAD (German Academic Exchange Service) for supporting her research stay in Germany.