Shake It Off, Shake It Off!

Engaging in sports and exercise can lead to beneficial changes in our physical health. Studies have shown that physical activity can also influence our state of mind through a favourable change in affect. Affect refers to the experience of emotion a particular moment in time. Positive affect tends to increase after completing a physical activity, while negative effect decreases. Dancing is a unique physical activity which combines the qualities of a competitive sport with rhythmic art. Szabo et al. hypothesized that adolescent girls participating in dance will most likely follow the regular changes in affective states (with respect to physical activity), and they believe these changes can be altered depending on the context in which the dance is performed. Twenty-six adolescent girls from a dance school, aged 13 to 16, took part in this study. To determine current affective state, the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) was used. The dancers were asked to complete the PANAS according to how they felt in the moment. Completion of the PANAS involved rating items on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 being very slightly/not at all, 5 being very much). Each PANAS assessment consisted of five positive (i.e. alert, active) and five negative items (i.e. nervous, upset). Ratings were completed by the dancers a total of 6 times; before and after (1) a training session, (2) performance grading, and (3) taking part in a dance competition.

Results of the assessments revealed decreases in both positive and negative affect across all three situations. The decrease in negative effect is consistent with literature findings regarding changes in affect from physical activity. The authors suggest that it is the “content” of dance influencing this decrease in negative affect. After dancing in each situation, the students most likely felt relieved from no longer having to worry about the demands of dancing (i.e. effort, memorizing choreography). The decrease in positive affect can be explained by the high level of excitement and anticipation felt before dancing. Once a dance is complete, the “butterflies” are no longer felt by the adolescents, leading to a lower positive affect post-event. An additional interesting finding was that negative affect was the highest in the competition situation. Heightened feelings of nervousness and the pressure of performing perfectly for a competition show that context also has an impact on the affective response of dancers. Regardless of the stresses associated with competitive settings, this study demonstrates the positive mediating effects of dance through decreases in negative affect, showing that it is quite possible that we can “dance the stress away.”

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Source:

• Szabo, A., Takács, D., Magyar, M., Soós, I., Boros, S., & Bősze, J. (2018). Adolescents’ dual affective response to dance in training, grading, and competition. Current Psychology, 1-7.