Dancing can make you smarter and happier. So if you have been looking for a reason to dance, here it is.
There have been some pretty amazing studies come out in recent years about this.
Here is a pretty comprehensive one from Harvard:
Dancing and the Brain | Harvard Medical School
My favorite resource is Dr. Peter Lovatt who founded the Dance Psychology Lab. Check him out.

Dr Peter Lovatt – Dance Psychologist – Dr Dance
Here are a couple of things that grabbed my attention.
- THE BRAIN: The positive effects on the brain are nothing short of phenomenal. It decreases the chances of developing dementia and increases memory strength and problem-solving skills. Studies show that regular dance can prevents shrinkage of the hippocampus due to aging and actually causes it to grow!
- CREATIVITY: Divergent thinking capabilities increase significantly.
- MENTAL ILLNESS: Dancing produces measurable improvement for Depression and Anxiety Disorders.
- NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES: Dance Therapy is now regularly used in the treatment of Parkinson’s Disease and has produced amazing results.
So there you go. Look him up, read his book or watch one of his Ted Talks. And get your family to start dancing!
We had a Christmas Garage Dance Party and it made for one of the best family parties EVER.
Here’s what to do:
- Push everything to the sides of the garage and throw up lights everywhere. *Choose the person who has the least stuff in their garage.
- Make a playlist of dance music. We included fun Christmas songs but also a lot of Queen. “We Will Rock You” is a must. My daughter created the playlist on her phone and used a portable speaker.
- Set up a food table and tell everyone to bring a goodie to share. Stack up lots of drinks next to the table.
- Tell everyone to wear their favorite Christmas sweater. *Or choose a theme for other times of the year.
Don’t make it too long! An hour is a long time to dance! We did White Elephant after an hour of dancing… but stopping at an hour is good!




We served hot Clam Chowder clam chowder – Most Delicious Life | Sharing Generations of Family and Fun, Seven Layer Dip Seven Layer Dip – Most Delicious Life | Sharing Generations of Family and Fun, Pecan Snowballs Pecan Snowball Cookies – Most Delicious Life | Sharing Generations of Family and Fun and shrimp cocktail among other things.
One important benefit that I didn’t mention above is the JOY you will feel having so much FUN with your family and friends! Dancing together breaks down inhibitions and age barriers.