Have you ever seen someone in a public place with “bananas in their ears” (well, headphones), beating time with their feet, shaking their head? Everyone is standing gloomy, driving to work, thinking about problems, and a man is standing next to him and dancing. “Crazy,” most will think. “Happy,” I and people like me will think.
Dance- part of human culture, without which neither ancient people nor contemporaries could do. It’s just that earlier it was more of a cult or a foreplay, but now it’s entertainment and - definitely the second function remains! - foreplay.
Dancing was prohibited, dancing was limited, they were condemned for twirling to the sounds of maracas, evil pictures of dancers were posted on the Internet, but men and women still danced, are dancing and will continue to dance.
I am convinced that everyone loves to dance, only some allow themselves to dance, while others do not. Why do people love to move to music? Is there an explanation for this? Science says there is.
Scientists write what happens in our body whole line processes that serve as a qualitative stimulus for the so-called “reward system” of the brain. That is, they are activated in nervous system the very structures that regulate human behavior through positive reactions. And among these processes - hurray, comrades! - coordinated movements. This is dancing!
The news is great, but, unfortunately, scientists cannot find at least one objective reason why dancing causes the release of the happiness hormone - serotonin. But it’s a fact: dancing to your favorite music can even become double happiness. Listening to pleasant music plus rhythmic movements to it, and there you have it - two doses of serotonin at a time.
Scientists don't give up. They also discovered a connection between two areas of the brain - the auditory zone and the part that is responsible for planning movements and the movements themselves. Dance training– this is the most obvious example. The student repeats the movements of the teacher to the music - imitates, tries to imitate the instructor. Hears the rhythm - sees an example - repeats - the brain works. It just seems to us that during training we are simply practicing figures, steps, turns, and the brain continues to work...
Doctors of science did not calm down here either. They asked each other: is man the only animal that can move to the beat of music? For an answer, they went to man's closest relatives - chimpanzees. And then disappointment came - chimpanzees don’t dance!!! They're like Arnold Schwarzenegger, who can't dance and can't even walk.
But what about the numerous videos on the Internet of wonderful cockatoos that sing and dance better than some nightclub regulars? Everyone saw parrots. Scientists say this phenomenon is due to the fact that chimpanzees cannot imitate sounds, but parrots can. It turns out that the gift of moving rhythmically to music associated with the ability to imitate heard sounds. This is exactly what we, like parrots, do every time we sing along quietly or loudly to our favorite singer.
By the way, these scientific discoveries lead to the conclusion that you and I are not dancing to the music at all, but subconsciously imitating with our movements its rhythm, melody, tempo... We stomp louder on the downbeat, we wave our hands on a whole note, hang on a pause... We dance the music!
The answer to why we dance - and even why some people are better at it than others - can be found in the theory of evolution. A study published in 2006 found that the ability to dance is actually linked to a survival mechanism. For our prehistoric ancestors, dancing was a way to bond and communicate, especially during difficult times. Moreover, scientists believe that those people who had good coordination and a sense of rhythm may have had an evolutionary advantage.
According to Stephen J. Mithen, an archaeologist at the British University of Reading, our ancestors learned to use dance to attract an ally or helper as much as one and a half million years ago.
Also, judging by recent research, anthropologists and evolutionary biologists agree that the nature of dance lies in the mechanism of imitation. By imitation, young children, for example, learn to speak and perform the same actions as adults. At the same time, the experience of repetition strengthens the connection between the perception of oneself and other people doing the same thing. Using a similar model, we learn to dance, that is, we do not so much intuitively contract our muscles to the beat of music, but reproduce the motor trajectories that we observe.
Some researchers believe that behavioral imitation is explained by specific neural structures, while other experts argue that the answer lies in the cognitive mechanisms of general learning and motor control of the body. By the way, an analysis of brain activity carried out using magnetic emission tomography revealed an interesting connection.
When dancing and when imitating someone else's actions, the same neural circuits operate, originating in the same areas of the brain - in the primary motor cortex, occipital and temporal lobes.
This observation continues to be supported by studies of special cells - mirror neurons located in the cortex cerebral hemispheres. Mirror neurons were only discovered in the 1990s, and much remains to be learned about their functional role. But it is absolutely known that these cells are activated when performing a specific action and observing how someone performs the same action. In addition, mirror neurons fire especially strongly when a person learns something or shows empathy. Therefore, the discovery of increased activity of these cells in professional dancers is not surprising.
It is worth adding here that the biology of dance is much more complex. A comprehensive study published in Scientific American notes that coordinated movements performed to music stimulate the pleasure center of the brain. Moreover, the activation of this part of the brain and the increased production of the hormone dopamine occur largely due to music, and not movements. That is, the pleasant sensations that arise when listening to a melody and its rhythm are enhanced if you don’t just listen to the music, but move in time with it. Take, for example, the Brazilian traditional art- capoeira. This is both a dance and martial arts. Capoeira masters explain that turning fighting techniques into dance moves It is no coincidence that it is the pleasure received from music and choreography that allows one to skillfully carry out martial practices.
By the way, in addition to physiology, genetic patterns are also involved in the matter of the dance essence. Interesting data was obtained by Israeli scientists who examined the DNA of a group of dancers and people unfamiliar with choreography. As a result, geneticists discovered interesting fact. Dancers have two distinct genes associated with their predisposition to be good social communicators - much of this has to do with the production of the hormone vasopressin. In addition, it was found that dancers had more high level and another hormone - serotonin, which is known to influence feelings of joy and happiness.
Hello! In the studio Tatyana Lyamzina. If a person dances well and moves to the beat, then it is easier for him to learn speech than a less rhythmic person, American experts have found. As RIA Novosti reports, during dance, the areas of the brain responsible for hearing and movement are perfectly synchronized. This fact was known to scientists. Now scientists from Northwestern University have analyzed the ability to adhere to rhythm and the brain's response to sounds. For this purpose, an experiment was conducted with teenagers. They were asked to listen to a metronome and press a button in time with the beat. At the same time, the accuracy of the hit was assessed. And using an electroencephalogram, they recorded how the adolescents’ brains reacted. It turned out that if the teenager pressed the button precisely in accordance with the metronome, the brain's reaction was stable in response to listening to the syllable. Experts already know that the ability to read and the ability to keep rhythm in motion are connected. And the ability to read, in turn, is associated with the nature of the brain’s reaction to sound. It turns out that hearing is the basis.
But restore heartbeat Singing in a choir will help. People singing together have a synchronized heartbeat, either increasing or decreasing depending on how they breathe in a single mode. In addition, the functioning of the vagus nerve, which is responsible for emotions and communication with other people, is normalized. Scientists from the University of Gothenburg tested how different melodies with different tempos and keys affect the well-being of choir members. It turned out that melody and structure piece of music directly affected the heartbeat, which changed simultaneously for everyone. The greatest synchronization was achieved when chanting mantras; songs with long phrases acted in the same way as breathing exercises yogis. Measured and calm breathing in a positive way affected mental state and the work of the heart.
Of course, music is no substitute for medicine. But doctors at the Royal Brompton Hospital in London have started a singing program for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. These patients are limited by how much air they can inhale and exhale. Some people start breathing very quickly, which makes the problem even worse. They take a lot of quick, shallow breaths, and this makes their breathing even more difficult. Singing lessons teach them to control the speed of breathing. The breathing techniques used for singing are more helpful for people with mild problems. If a person has serious illnesses, it will be quite difficult to sing. Of course, the songs should be quite simple.
But women should definitely have time to parent a child before the age of 35, say reproductive specialists at Newcastle University. According to them, women should not hide behind a career, postponing motherhood, because over the years, work does not become easier. However, more and more modern families are delaying having children. Almost 50% of children are now born to women 30 years of age and older. The number of children born in such families, per last years tripled. After 35 years of age, the chances of conceiving a child are significantly reduced. And IVF does not guarantee the birth of a child. If a woman fails to have a child before the age of 40-50, she will face psychological trauma, psychologists note. And even if conception does occur, women in the older age group face a large number complications during pregnancy itself. In particular, the risk of miscarriages and childbirth increases ahead of schedule or underweight children. Stillbirth is more than twice as common among mothers over 35 years of age. But the degradation of eggs that occurs over time increases the risk of having a child with Down syndrome and other genetic disorders. Women themselves often subsequently face arthritis, depression, cancer, and heart attacks. Therefore, family planning should include not only issues of contraception, but also issues of childbirth, doctors emphasize. Be healthy!
What can help a person relax, unwind and have a good time? The answer to this question is dance. Only by succumbing to rhythmic movements to the sounds of music, we relax not only mentally, but also physically, relieving ourselves of the burden of everyday life, existing stress and worries.
Many famous scientists and dancers tend to claim that dance’s benefits for humans are comparable to long-term benefits physical exercise in the gym, as well as moderate intake of vitamins. And it’s hard to argue with this, since in the process of dancing we use almost all muscle groups, and in the process of movement, from joyful and pleasant sensations we receive vital endorphins, which allow us to gain moral pleasure and significantly improve our mood.
A little history
With the appearance of Homo sapiens on the planet, everything changed, technology appeared, the world developed rapidly, communication means were needed in order to communicate with each other, demonstrate their emotions and sensations. Dance came to the rescue primitive people, and later more progressive tribes, through dance communicated not only with the world of the living, but also with the world of the dead. In the dance there was communication; in the dance a person could convey to the viewer what was bothering him now and what he would like to focus on. During the evolution of man, much has changed, but the role of dance has remained the same and this is one of its main advantages, to convey one’s emotions and feelings.
Useful qualities of dancing
The first thing to understand is that dance is not just thoughtless movements, it is a whole story that is described by body language. Thanks to the smoothness of movements and precision of execution, it is possible to develop not only flexibility, improve balance and coordination, but also increase self-confidence. In many treatment programs and courses, dancing is an integral part of any recovery process from experienced mental and moral trauma. The benefits of dance were noted in the works of eminent scientists, choreographers, and doctors of their time. The best known dancer of her time, Isadora Duncan, concluded that dance is the best cure for mental illness and self-doubt. The same idea was shared by therapist Merian Chase, Dr. A.V. Stor, as well as other great people, whose undoubtedly great contribution made dance one of the the best means for the treatment of physiological and mental diseases.
What Research Shows
Since the beginning of the 19th century, many different tests have been used to evaluate the prospects, importance of dance in a person’s life and health. There were both positive and negative results, since different age groups respondents, the severity of emotional illnesses. But if we summarize, a clear and undeniable pattern can be seen: dance, no matter what style it is, Bachata, Hustle, Kizomba or Body Ballet, plays an important role in terms of achieving internal harmony, calmness and a balanced state.
Many processes stimulate the reward system in our brain, among them coordinated movements. Because of this we love to dance, for this reason we (if not all, then at least some) are fascinated well choreographed fights in movies , marching people or " Rube Goldberg machines" Scientists cannot find a clear reason for this phenomenon. But movements to music (which in itself) - in essence, dance - represent double pleasure for a person.
Since ancient times, the desire to move to rhythm has settled in our nervous system. There is a specific connection between the auditory cortex, which processes sound, and the area of the brain that is involved in planning and producing movements. This connection is especially well established if a person learns to sing. In order to imitate a vocal teacher, a diligent student must learn to imagine how to associate an audible standard with the ability to reproduce it.
Video OK Go - This Too Shall Pass
We're not the only animals that can move to the beat, but the other species with which we share these skills are a bit surprising. For example, our closest relatives - chimpanzees - do not move to music, but they also cannot imitate sounds. However, parrots and cockatoos, which are excellent vocal imitators, are also good at moving to rhythm. As proof of this, you can find many videos on YouTube. That is, in fact, the desire to dance is directly related to the ability to imitate sounds. From this we can conclude that when we listen to music, we subconsciously try to imitate it, for example, stomp to the beat or imitate a solo. This also gives rise to the desire to sing along to your favorite song.
A scientific study published in the journal Science in 2006 suggested that in ancient times, the ability to dance was associated with survival. Dancing for our prehistoric ancestors was one of the ways to communicate, especially in difficult times. Therefore, scientists believe that the first humans who had a better sense of rhythm may have had an evolutionary advantage.
Researchers studied the DNA of groups of dancers and people who had never shown a penchant for dancing, and found that dancers had genes associated with a predisposition to better communication in society. In addition, dancers were found to have higher levels of serotonin, which is known to influence a positive attitude. These two factors suggest that dancers are (potentially) more social individuals.
It is not a sensation that people also dance to attract the opposite sex. British archaeologist Stephen J. Mithen, studying the culture of Neanderthals, proved that our ancestors were doing this 1.5 million years ago. That is, on prehistoric dance floors, approximately the same thing happened as. “In many societies today, dancing is used as a way of presenting oneself to attract a partner,” Mithen points out. “Dancing is a means to show off your physical ability and coordination, qualities that were important for survival in prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies.”
The reward system in the brain that made us fall in love with dancing is directly related to motor functions. Historians believe that the music itself was created through rhythmic movements, and the first “tracks” were simple synchronized stomping. In addition, we are very sensitive to the movements of other people's bodies.
It has been found that when watching others dance, certain areas of the brain responsible for movement are activated. This is due to the presence of mirror neurons responsible for imitation. These cells in the cerebral cortex are excited both when performing a certain action and when observing another being perform this action. Such neurons have been discovered in primates, and their presence is claimed in humans and some birds.
Another kind of pleasure that our brain gets from watching dances is associated with our love of predicting events. The observer, at a time when the dancer has not yet completed the steps, thanks to the prompts of the music, can predict his further movements, and when he guesses them, the reward system in the brain is triggered. It turns out that people enjoy both watching dances and participating in them. This is where a person's love for group dances, which, among other things, give a feeling of unity.
