Dancing may alleviate perceived symptoms of depression and help to understand its root causes: Study

Dance as a performative art form alleviates perceived symptoms of depression , helps to understand its root causes and promotes self-actualisation, a recent study from the University of Eastern Finland found. The multidisciplinary research collaboration brought together perspectives from psychology and social psychology, as well as from dance as a performative art form, which is rarely included in interventions related to depression.

“Depression is a major public health concern, and there is an urgent need for adjunct treatment methods. Robust evidence regarding adjunct treatments for depression already exists for physical exercise , for example. The inclusion of expressive elements, such as those found in dance, could make physical exercise particularly appealing for many,” says Prof