Chi don’t remember the memorable scene of Shall We Dance?when Jennifer Lopez And Richard Gere they dance a sexy tango (to quote the great one Fabio Concato) on the notes of Santa Maria of the Gotan Project? It was the 2004the era of rom-coms, and perhaps many, leaving the cinema, they felt the sudden urge to sign up for a tango course. But what makes this dance so irresistible? As well as Richard Gere.
A surprising answer comes from science: according to a study by‘University orfColorado Boulderwhen two dancers move tightly and in perfect synchronyit’s not just bodies that connect, but brains too. Almost as if they became a single entity: one body, one heart, one brain.
The experiment with Argentine tango dancers
The research involved five couples of expert Argentine tango dancers. The so-called tangueros. During the experiment, participants danced in the laboratory while they were monitored with EEG headphones to record brain activity e ankle sensors to precisely track every movement. The goal was to understand if physical coordination between partners also had a direct reflection on brain activity.
When brains synchronize
The results showed that, at moments of heightened coordination, the dancers’ brain waves also tended to align. This phenomenon, called “intercerebral coupling”, becomes especially evident when the steps are perfectly synchronized.
The brain waves involved
Synchronization was observed in different brain frequencies. The beta waves, related to attention and concentrationand the theta wavesassociated with more relaxed states, changed along with the level of harmony between the dancers. In other words, the study suggests that the brain is able to adapt to movement and the quality of the motor connection with each other.
A device that measures agreement
From these findings, researchers are developing a wearable device that vibrates when partners’ brains are in sync. The idea is to transform an unconscious process into a perceivable signal, useful not only for dancing, but also for improvement coordination in group sports activities such as football or cycling.
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