Updated on August 18, 2023.
Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are scary diagnoses. But that fact is, even as we age under the best of circumstances, our brains shrink and our neural connections start to dry up. The first thing to go is often remembering people’s names. Fortunately, learning and challenging ourselves can help rewire our brains. We can find alternative pathways to help us jog our memory for things such as names and places.
A study was done of people over the age of 75 that looked at subjects and their habits over the course of 21 years. The object was to see which activities helped to preserve brain function and reduce the risk of dementia. Interestingly, reading reduced the risk by 35 percent. Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week reduced the risk by 47 percent. Bicycling, golf, and swimming reduced the risk by 0 percent.
That's not to say that exercise has no benefit for brain health. In fact, getting regular physical activity is commonly viewed as a key way to help stave off cognitive decline. But in the study, the activity that had the most benefit of all—and reduced the risk of dementia by 76 percent—was dancing.
But not just any kind of dancing did the trick. The kind that seemed to offer cognitive benefit was dancing that required split-second decisions. Ballroom dancing forms such as waltz, swing, and especially Argentine tango fit the bill—and may help you maintain your brain.
The secret? All these dances require the need to lead or follow directions and move the body accordingly. That requirement to make quick decisions and to communicate with a partner appears to increase the wiring of the brain and help prevent deterioration.
Argentine tango has also been studied to see the general effect on the health of older adults and also for those with Parkinson’s disease. The benefits include increased muscle tone, spinal cord stability, improved balance and flexibility, reduced stress and anxiety, and increased self-confidence.
Patients with Parkinson’s disease had improved balance, endurance, and self-confidence with frequent tango lessons. In one group that was studied there was a decrease in the progression of the disease with tango.
Not only may dance (and specifically Argentine tango) improve your health, it is also incredibly fun. You do not need to be Ginger Rogers or Fred Astaire. You just need to be willing to get over your inhibitions and give it a try.
As famed American dancer and choreographer Agnes de Mille once said, "To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful."
