It’s not every day you see a group of women in Mardi Gras masks simultaneously dancing to ABBA’s “Dancing Queen.”
And yet, since a video from an aerobics class was uploaded, it’s been viewed nearly 2 MILLION times.
But why?
The moves aren’t elaborate – it’s not a dance number for the ages by any means. It’s simply synchronized dance.
And yet – we feel compelled to watch things like this. In fact, they often make us happy!
As it turns out, there are physiological and psychological explanations.
And while it might not explain this particular video (after all, things go viral for all sorts of random reasons), it does explain why we sometimes feel soothed or even motivated after watching people dance.
First of all, dance is good for your body.
Shaking your groove thing (no matter how slow or embarrassingly you shake it!) is a great low-impact cardio workout.
And studies have shown that dancing can improve cardiovascular health, increase stamina, and even strengthen bones and muscles.
Watching people do it likely brings back memories of dance parties (formal or informal) of the past and helps you recall fun times too.
But “dancing your cares away” isn’t just some trite old saying – it really can do good things for your brain!
Ok, but what is it about WATCHING people dance that makes us feel good?
Well, first of all, we’re drawn to synchronized performances. Our brains just like them – possibly because we are social creatures (yes, even us introverts) and the idea of all that harmony can give us the warm fuzzies.
And if all this isn’t a reason to keep funding the arts, we don’t know what else people could possibly want!
But you also have your neurons to thank for the enjoyment you get from simply watching dance – even if it’s an informal cardio class (with silly masks) like the one we see here rather than classical ballet.
A specific kind of neuron – called a “mirror neuron” – gets activated when you watch someone perform an action. Especially in cases when you’ve also performed that action in the past (say, just dancing in your kitchen when no one was looking), these neurons trigger a reaction in the motor planning region of the brain.
@fuzzysynapse #funfact
There are “mirror neurons” in the brains of animals and humans…..which helps to imitate and emulate.#scicomm #science #neuroscience #Biology #mirror #neurons #imitate #fuzzysynapse #copy #fun #animals #humans pic.twitter.com/la4KAOuGa3— Vinita Bharat (@fuzzysynapse) February 26, 2018
In other words, you perceive yourself – to some extent – as participating in this fun activity just by watching it on YouTube.
Now, it’s not going to go so far as to activate your muscles and act as a mini-workout – for that you have to get up off the couch. But it does explain why we sometimes WANT to dance after we see a fun dance video.
Have you ever watched something like this and thought “I wonder if there’s a class in town” or “I’m going to turn on some music when no one’s home later and boogie down”?
Even if you don’t end up doing it, you’ve still experienced something nice.
And that’s why this video elicited comments such as:
“I really enjoyed this video it’s very inspirational I’m seriously going to try to get into this for exercise.”
Unless you have health or mobility issues stopping you from getting up and getting down, there’s no reason not to dance! You don’t have to be any good at it, you just have to move! And chances are, you’ll be in a better mood for having tried.
What do you have to lose?
If you need some motivation, be sure to scroll down below for the whole video – it’s sure to bring a smile!
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
