Dancing is a gift for the body: exploring embodied mindfulness and influences of dance on wellbeing.
Arts & health September 15, 2025 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.1080/17533015.2025.2560891 via PubMed
Summary
Dance supports mental wellbeing through embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive cognitive processes. A mixed-methods online study of 64 adult dancers from ten countries found that only the 'Connection to Body' subscale of the Embodied Mindfulness Questionnaire supported the hypothesis. Thematic analysis revealed dancers achieve body connection via pathways like self-care, distinct from embodied mindfulness. Dancers also reported developing cognitive and social skills, such as empathy and communication, that transfer to daily life. Findings highlight dance's flexibility in meeting wellbeing needs.
Study at a glance
| Design | mixed-methods online design |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 64 |
| Population | adult dancers aged 21-45 from ten countries and diverse genres |
| Key finding | Only the 'Connection to Body' subscale supported the hypothesis; dancers achieve body connection through pathways distinct from embodied mindfulness, such as self-care. |
Abstract
Dance offers a unique lens for exploring mental well-being via the 4E cognition framework-embodied, embedded, extended, and enactive perspectives. Research has focused on embodied mindfulness, but broader cognitive potential remains underexplored. Using a mixed-methods online design, 64 adult dancers (aged 21-45) from ten countries and diverse genres completed the Embodied Mindfulness Questionnaire and open-ended questions. Only the 'Connection to Body' subscale supported the hypothesis. Thematic analysis indicated that dancers achieve connection to the body through pathways distinct from embodied mindfulness, such as self-care. Findings align with research on creativity, identity, and community. While offering new insights into connection to the body and style switching aspects of dance, highlighting dance's flexibility to meet wellbeing needs. Dancers also described developing cognitive and social skills, such as empathy and communication, that transfer to everyday life. Further research is warranted.