A study published this summer by Cambridge University found that salsa dancing could help ease depression.
The study examined social dance-based activities, specifically an eight-week salsa dance class for young adults with mild to moderately severe depressive symptoms.
Scientists recruited 121 young adults between the ages of 18 and 24 and randomly assigned them to either the eight-week class or a waitlist control group. The control group had to wait three months before taking the class.
During the study, participants were asked about their mental health status, and researchers tracked changes in their anxiety and depression symptoms.
Researchers found that those who participated in the dance classes showed a significantly greater reduction in symptoms than the control group.
While both groups reported improvements in areas such as social anxiety, loneliness and generalized anxiety, those who participated in salsa experienced greater reductions in social anxiety and larger improvements in daily happiness.
Overall, the study found that the findings support the value of dance classes as an accessible way to reduce depressive symptoms.
