What dance preferences reveal

Dancers are similar to musicians: they are extraverted to an above-average degree and open to new things. However, they differ in one respect: whether they describe themselves as emotionally unstable or stable. And dance style also plays a role in this, reports a research group from the Max Planck Institute for Empirical Aesthetics in Frankfurt am Main in the scientific journal "Personality and Individual Differences".

The team led by psychologist and former ballet dancer Julia Christensen analysed the personality profiles of around 6,000 adults: more than 5,400 twins from Sweden and almost 600 dance enthusiasts from Germany who had been recruited by dance organisations via social media networks. All of them answered a questionnaire on the five big personality dimensions ("Big Five"). In addition, the Swedish subjects reported on the extent of their creative activities, including dancing and music. The Germans stated which dance styles they practised regularly and to what extent: privately, professionally and whether they even ran a dance school.

All dance practitioners were found to be more open, extraverted and emotionally stable than average, compared to the norm values for these personality traits in the general population. The professionals and dance school owners were also more agreeable than average. The situation was similar in Sweden: There, professionals and amateurs, regardless of age and gender, were more open and extraverted as well as more agreeable than respondents who did not dance. The fifth personality dimension of the "Big Five" - conscientiousness - was average for dancers.

In terms of extraversion, there were no differences according to dance style, but there were differences in the other characteristics. The styles were assigned to six categories: Ballet, standard (for example waltz, tango and foxtrot), Latin American (such as rumba and cha-cha-cha), street dance (such as hip hop), swing (including rock 'n' roll and lindy hop) and tango argentino, which differs from standard tango in that it involves free improvisation. The supporters of ballet and tango argentino stood out with their exceptional openness; ballet, Latin and street dancers with particular compatibility and swing fans with the greatest emotional stability. The standard dancers were the least out of line.

The personality differences could be due to different predispositions, Julia Christensen and her team suspect. For example, some styles are very complex, a characteristic that open-minded people particularly like by definition. And the emotional balance of swing dancers could possibly be explained by the fact that neurotic people feel less attracted to upbeat rhythms. However, the differences could also have more to do with preferences for a musical genre than with the dance movements.

The Swedish data also showed that, like dancers, music makers also reported a higher level of extraversion and openness. But while dancers also reported more emotional stability than non-dancers, the opposite was true for musicians: they even described themselves as more neurotic compared to non-musicians. The researchers suspect that a tendency towards negative emotions is more disturbing when dancing than when making music: This is how self-selection takes place. Another possible explanation: Dancing relieves emotional stress via physical exertion, and the exhilarating movements have an effect back on mood.

Spectrum of science

We are partners of Spektrum der Wissenschaft and want to make well-founded information more accessible to you. Follow Spektrum der Wissenschaft if you like the articles.