Occasionally one runs into the idea that dance is “therapeutic” and can make you a better person off the dance floor in certain ways: more “in the moment”, more expressive, more spontaneous, more social, more confident, more creative, etc. This is a nice thought and for my part I would like it to be true since those are all things I’d like to improve in my own life, but has anyone ever seen this happen in themselves or in others, or is this just feel-good talk? I guess getting good at *any* activity can build confidence in life, but the more interesting question is whether dance yields any unique benefits here.
Can salsa dance change your personality off the dance floor?
- Thread starter bulldog91
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I've met people who said that Salsa cured their boredom or changed their social life, but it's rarer to meet someone whose personality changed.
I think it takes more than dancing to make significant changes to one's personality.
I can't say I've changed much since starting Salsa. I'm more mellowed out than when I started but that comes with aging and other life experiences.
I've met quite a few type A managerial personalities in Salsa. They are constantly under stress but Salsa gives them a reprieve, but once back to the grind it's business as usual. I would not want to run into them at their place of work.
I think it takes more than dancing to make significant changes to one's personality.
I can't say I've changed much since starting Salsa. I'm more mellowed out than when I started but that comes with aging and other life experiences.
I've met quite a few type A managerial personalities in Salsa. They are constantly under stress but Salsa gives them a reprieve, but once back to the grind it's business as usual. I would not want to run into them at their place of work.
- more “in the moment” - possibly.
- more expressive - yes, at least related to music and movement
- more spontaneous - not really, not in real life
- more social - to a certain degree, more in a sense of opportunities to socialize, which I mostly ignore
- more confident - yes, for sure
- more creative - no, not in real life.
- gave me a reason to get fit and really appreciate movement. I was not really couch potato, but without the dance I would have probably missed the moment, when age requires to seriously work on your fitness.
- taking classes and analyzing class content, social interaction, my progress gave so mach material to think about ...
- definitely learned to understand other persons non-verbal clues.
This I find very interesting. While I’m no expert and I still make many mistakes, dancing has given me more insights on non-verbal cues than any other activity I’ve ever done.
When it comes to non-verbal social cues, the head really gets in the way and makes things much more complicated than it need be. So often the path is clear but we tend to choose the most complicated route to get to where we want to go.
I think that it's true. To talk about extremes, I heard or read about many people for whom salsa dance was a way out of depression. It gave them purpose and a new lifestyle. There was actually an article in the Guardian newspaper about someone describing this. To talk about more common people in my own social circle, I think that salsa can make you more confident and happier. It's a partner dance, you meet a lot of people, you simply have to go out of your comfort zone if someone is shy, and you are also boosting your confidence when you feel you are getting better or if people want to dance with you again. And to be honest, just a rejection topic here is full of psychology I certainly learned a lot and that's not sarcasm!
Speaking for myself, I become more confident and actually more active as I go out dancing a lot with my new social group. And also met a lot of very interesting people which is not exactly change in personality but it has a good impact on my life anyway.
I wanted to mention depression but it is an extreme case. Sadly, I’ve heard stories of people who’ve taken their own life but were always surrounded by Salsa people and seemed to have a very active dance life.
It's tragic someone is so cornered they see no other way out
Of course, dancing is not the answer for everyone, otherwise, psychologists would not be needed. For someone, it can offer help, for someone else it's by far not enough. Let's hope maybe it brought them at least some joy or relief.
Bostontraitor
Son
Hopefully, dancing makes you happier.
ZephBonkerer
Changui
I would not be able to answer whether it can change your personality or character. When changes attributable to dancing are manifest, was it an actual fundamental change in someone's personality / character, or does it reveal something in someone that has long been dormant? It's a chicken-and-egg question.
ZephBonkerer
Changui
... I can speak from my own experience. I came back to salsa / bachata after a long absence right when my marriage of 14 years fell apart. I came into a great community and invested heavily into improving my technique. I consider myself to be far less socially anxious, and I am far more content overall.
To me, it is nothing to walk up to a beautiful woman and ask for a dance - I've learned that is something even some of the more experienced dancers struggle with at times.
To me, it is nothing to walk up to a beautiful woman and ask for a dance - I've learned that is something even some of the more experienced dancers struggle with at times.
1derpalm
Son Montuno
As someone who frequently battles depression I'll say that it can definitely do the opposite and the depression can be very detrimental to your social life in the scene.
If it's not too personal, can I ask why? No mood for socializing?
I think that it's true. To talk about extremes, I heard or read about many people for whom salsa dance was a way out of depression. It gave them purpose and a new lifestyle. There was actually an article in the Guardian newspaper about someone describing this. To talk about more common people in my own social circle, I think that salsa can make you more confident and happier. It's a partner dance, you meet a lot of people, you simply have to go out of your comfort zone if someone is shy, and you are also boosting your confidence when you feel you are getting better or if people want to dance with you again. And to be honest, just a rejection topic here is full of psychology I certainly learned a lot and that's not sarcasm!
Both, music and dancing can be uplifting for our spirits (though I hear, other way round is more true, spirits help uplifting sense of music and dancing, especially if crappy
). That is similar to after a gym workout or some sports activity. In brain imaging studies listening to music triggers same areas of the brain as meditation.I will take any claims made in the press interpreting any studies with a grain of salt. A few studies have shown partner dancing to improve cognitive functions, delay age related cognition decay like dementia and also helpful to Alzheimer's patients. We had a couple of threads on it.
Depression can have many causes. There is garden variety depression that a normal person might go through and there is clinical depression. The two aren't the same.
There isn't anything magical about dancing to address depression. Unless the root cause is addressed it can be very difficult to treat depression. Sometimes medications can help to alleviate extreme depression. Be long enough in dance scene and you will come across people who are depressed for one reason or another. No different from coming across someone who is depressed in other walks of life. In fact the social dynamics of the dance scene can make people sad and depressed (which is a passing phase). Seen it many times. That's no different than say family feud or issues causing sadness and depression. Not uncommon to find people jump in to dancing as a social activity after a breakup. Pre-breakup social circles can sometimes dissolve with the breakup. Often breakup means creating a new social circle. Social dancing is an excellent way to quickly find social acceptance and have a new social group that has nothing to do with your past. People will join dance teams and given the amount of time spent together practicing, dancing, traveling, hanging out, etc the dance team functions like its own social unit within dance community. Sometimes people unexpectedly and quickly find new friends or partners. Therefore it can help to get rid of post-breakup blues. It is similar to moving to a new place and starting afresh. Given it is a social unit, it can also breed toxicity. In which case it can cause people emotional distress. Long and short is dancing by itself is neither a panacea nor a curse. It is the interactions and expectations that result from it which are the key.
Albert Torres who pioneered the salsa festivals and congresses was suffering from alcoholism and mental illness before he plunged himself into salsa (as an organizer). Salsa gave him a purpose in life and he credited it with overcoming his mental health challenges and addiction. Which is very different from saying salsa dancing will help cure depression. If you change your lifestyle completely and immerse yourself into something that gives a purpose to your life, that can have positive effect. The activity can be dancing or changing career and moving to a new country. Dancing to a few can be like finding your 'tribe' and be very positive. Generally social dancing as an activity tends to be net positive experience for most people. But I wouldn't go as far to say it gives a way out of depression.
We should be careful about distinguishing causation and correlation.
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Chris Evert says fame made her feel 'a little bit entitled' in her relationships
The tennis star opens up about her marriages and being diagnosed with ovarian cancer.
Here is an excellent example where someone can mistakenly attribute activity like competitive tennis to personality formation or change. But if you read carefully, it is the fame and expectations resulting from it which seeded the sense of entitlement. Chris Evert was a legend in her playing days and most of those who are below 40 may not have heard of her.
On the other hands there are examples of sports personalities with far more fame and celebrity that remain humble and modest. Two examples in my books are Steph Curry a basketball player who has changed the game and Sachin Tendulkar, a former cricketer who is probably more famous than any sportsman and carried a god like status.
I guess for people who base their whole life around salsa, yes. Some people seem to only hang out with people in the social dancing scene, only upload pictures on social media of themselves dancing, etc. Personally I dance quite often and listen to salsa everyday, but it's not really something I base my identity off.
However where I come from in Latin America it is common to hear salsa in restaurants, bars, clubs, taxis, etc and one is expected to have decent dancing skills (basic cumbia, merengue, reggaeton, salsa, bachata) and having those skills was certainly a little confidence-booster with the girls.
If dancing with a lot of physical touch isn't natural in your culture, the effect dancing can have on you may be greater.
However where I come from in Latin America it is common to hear salsa in restaurants, bars, clubs, taxis, etc and one is expected to have decent dancing skills (basic cumbia, merengue, reggaeton, salsa, bachata) and having those skills was certainly a little confidence-booster with the girls.
If dancing with a lot of physical touch isn't natural in your culture, the effect dancing can have on you may be greater.
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I have seen many people who do that when they first get into salsa. It usually lasts 2-3 years with few exceptions. I also seen how salsa acts a validation of their own personal self-worth for some these types. However as I said I rarely see that last beyond three years.
Interestingly I see that far less these days than in 2000s. May be the popularity of salsa was very high then leading to more people basing their life around salsa to exclusion of everything else. In some older threads you will find people narrating their own experience doing similar.
You answered your own question. Anything (any type of activity) which catalyzes an enriching experience, positive energy, and curiosity) can be therapeutic/cathartic Dance, martial arts, yoga, music, sports, stamp collecting, etc. Also depends on the person (and as Offbeat said), with how deeply they put their eggs in one basket. Activities which incorporate more of our senses will have (on the bell curve) more benefit.
ZephBonkerer
Changui
This may be part of why dancing has been a huge positive in my life. Shortly after I moved with my family to a new state, my wife and I divorced. Then I was excommunicated from my church and shunned by some of my old Christian friends because of the divorce.
While the details may be a topic for another forum, I was going through a divorce, kicked out of church, shunned by friends, and three time zones away from family. Under those circumstances, I desperately needed good friends, and I found that in the dance community.