Mental Health Benefits of Dance & Music

Dancing offers plenty of benefits for your emotions, intelligence, and relationships. Learning and practicing dance can:

EASE DEPRESSION AND ANXIETY

Dance is an effective type of exercise that raises your heart rate and works your muscles. Exercise can help with symptoms of depression and anxiety by releasing certain chemicals in your brain. It also provides a way to escape repetitive negative thoughts and worries. These are thoughts that run through your mind over and over.

IMPROVE SELF-ESTEEM

The amount that you respect and value yourself is your self-esteem. Showing yourself that you can learn and master new moves and skills through dance can improve your self-esteem and confidence.

MEET NEW PEOPLE

Social interaction between groups of people is important to your mental well-being. Talking and spending time with others improves your mood. It also makes you feel like you belong and eases loneliness.

IMPROVE MEMORY

Learning new things, like different moves and styles of dance, sharpens your brain’s ability to remember these kinds of details.

“Dance releases endorphins, a naturally occurring “feel good” chemical in our brain that increase the feeling of pleasure and decrease pain”

-Mental Health Association in Delaware