What we do This week stay socially connected and dance! To tie into some of the other themes of keeping your brain healthy like staying socially connected and active we thought it would be a great idea to get the kids involved too.
Some studies have shown that "long-term dance practice positively affects brain activity"[1]. The complex movements of dancing engage different motor skills, somatosensory (parts of the sensory nervous system) and cognitive brain areas[2]. A study published in Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Reviews in January 2019 suggests that dance could promote healthy neuroplasticity - which is the continuous processing that allows short-term, medium-term, and long-term remodelling of the neuronosynaptic organization[3]. Professor Cliff Abraham, co-director of Brain Research NZ discusses brain plasticity in his recent update about his research which is to understand the mechanisms of memory storage, Brain Plasticity: A key to the brain’s resilience against pathology?.
The question was posed, “what is the influence of dance practice on neuroplasticity in already mature brains?” Neuroscience & Biobehavioural Review screened 1071 studies and from these eight studies were included in the review of the study. From the eight studies that were chosen positive outcomes were discovered.
- Dancing can strengthen the connectivity between both cerebral hemispheres
- Dance practice modifies white and grey matter in various brain regions
- dance practice integrates brain areas to improve neuroplasticity
So, whether it’s the foxtrot, the hand jive, the moonwalk or the floss – get up, move and stay socially connected this week! Make new friends or invite old ones to one of these dance parties.
Let’s get the kids involved!
This week is not only about the adults! How about getting your children or grandchildren up and moving too! Get a little face time with them even under self-isolation terms and FaceTime, Zoom or Skype them and dance the afternoon away!
Here are some great ways to have a dance party right in your own home.
Join a virtual dance group in your living room, bedroom or common area! Tune in and just dance in the dark with people all over the world. Last night’s dance brought in 150 people from all over the world, dancing in the dark.
The “Toosie Slide” TikTok Dance Challenge
This one is for the younger people in our following! Get your parents or grandparents involved and test out some of these virtual TikTok challenges. Have a competition with your parents or grandparents trying to do these iconic dance challenges and share with the rest of the family virtually.
Groove through the ages with “Hot Dub Time Machine” in your home! Live stream with a bunch of other people and dance the evening away. They travel through the ages and bring you the best of each decade. There’s something for every age group ever Saturday!
[1] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014976341830664X?via%3Dihub#abs0005
[2] https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S014976341830664X?via%3Dihub#abs0005
[3] https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/neuroscience/neuroplasticity
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