The Science of Dance, Shaking, and Mental Health

Have you ever seen a dog or horse shake after getting startled? This is because intuitively, animals shake their limbs to help pump the excess adrenaline and cortisol out of their bodies and reset bodily functions.

Stress initiates a natural response in our nervous system: we pump out adrenaline and cortisol, increase heart rate, pause digestion, bypass memory storage, and prepare to survive. This is the fight/flight/freeze response in action. Unfortunately, many of us experience this response when facing stress that is not a matter of life or death, and our nervous systems are in a constant state of overdrive.

We can talk to a therapist all day about the stress of work, but unless we know how to teach the body to regulate, our nervous systems will continue to go into this state of panic. This can lead to poor memory, indigestion, anxiety, emotional lability, hormonal imbalance, impaired thinking, lack of focus, and so many other functions that we don’t realise are connected to a well-running nervous system.

The idea is to regulate the nervous system to bring our bodies back to equilibrium at the offset of stress to avoid future mental and physical issues.

Shaking is a simple tool you can use anywhere to biologically bring your body back to baseline after something stressful to prevent future symptoms.

Instead of breaking up the day at your desk with a circuit workout or a short jog, consider turning on your favourite song and dancing like no one’s watching.

Since dance is exercise, the physical benefits are similar to that of other cardio workouts. Unlike high impact exercises like running, dancing is gentle on the body. It can also improve flexibility, easing joint pain and alleviating post-exercise soreness. Also unlike other exercises that emphasize repetitive or linear movement, dance allows for the body to move organically and without structure. This not only gives way to creative expression, but can also activate new synapses in the brain and prevent injury.

“Movements that we typically do in our daily life, like walking, taking the stairs, and common workouts like treadmills and cycling, occur in the sagittal plane, but dance works your body from all planes, including lateral and rotational, which turns on and conditions all muscles, meaning no muscle is left behind.

Another unique benefit of dance versus other forms of exercise is its ability to improve balance through rhythm and music.

On a mental level, dancing can improve cognitive performance. While it may be true that the best dancers are those that don’t think about it, most of us can agree that dancing requires a high level of presence and brain power. This is required to learn a new style of dance, tune into the rhythm of a new song, or sync up with a dance partner.

A study in the New England Journal of Medicine supports the notion that dancing boosts memory and may prevent the development of dementia. According to the researchers, dancing involves both a mental effort and social interaction, which explains why it was the only one out of 11 different types of physical activity that lowered participants’ risk of dementia.

Emotionally, dancing can bring about stress relief, improve self-esteem and promote positive emotions. Another study conducted in 2012 by researchers at North Dakota’s Minot State University found that Latin-style dance programs such as Zumba lifted participants’ mood and certain cognitive skills, such as visual recognition and decision-making, per Harvard Medical School.

The benefits of dance are boundless and will affect every individual in a unique way. That said, maybe the most incredible thing about dancing is that it is the great equalizer. Anyone with mobility in their body, even if limited, can participate. This makes it a great social activity, and a fun way to connect with others.

Shaking is a process of warming up – the idea is to loosen up and shake out all the built-up tension in your mind and body. While most meditation techniques require you to be still and be aware of your body, shaking is the act of letting go.

“All mammals shake. If you notice, dogs tremble/shake right after they get up or when they face a new situation. By shaking, we literally shake off the old energy and tension as a way of resettling. We humans also shake when our fight or flight impulses are activated, which means when we face a threat to our system or are in trauma. Shaking out is the easiest way to get rid of it,”

Like Taylor Swift rightly sings, “Baby, I’m just gonna shake, shake, shake, shake, shake….I shake it off, I shake it off… in my mind saying it’s gonna be alright.”