Research Explores Impact of Music in Educational Settings - Individuals involved in dancing show lower levels of neuroticism.
Research conducted by the Frankfurt Max Planck Institute (MPI) for Empirical Aesthetics has shown that individuals who dance exhibit lower levels of neuroticism compared to their non-dancing peers. Additionally, dancers tend to be more forgetful, open, and extroverted. These findings hold true for both amateur and professional dancers.
A recent publication in the journal "Personality and Individual Differences" outlines the study's findings, which were derived from data collected from 5,435 people in Sweden and 574 people in Germany. The research team explored the five personality traits of openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism through a comprehensive questionnaire.
Previous studies conducted on musicians revealed they had higher levels of forgetfulness and openness compared to individuals who did not play an instrument. This study expanded on these findings, applying them to dancers.
Interestingly, the study revealed that female dancers and male dancers are less neurotic than people who do not dance, unlike female musicians and male musicians who were found to be more neurotic than their non-musician counterparts.
The research team noted a significant correlation between a dancer's extraversion and their chosen art form, with dancers displaying a high level of extraversion in their personalities. This is likely due to the physical and social exposure that comes with dancing and singing.
Additionally, the team hypothesized potential personality differences between dancers of various dance styles, with swing dancers exhibiting even lower levels of neuroticism than other styles, such as Latin and standard dancing. While this observation is intriguing, it requires further investigation using larger data sets.
In conclusion, this study highlights the positive impact of dancing on one's mental health and personality traits, shedding light on the potential benefits of incorporating dance into our lives.
