New Study Suggests Dance Music Is Good For Your Cognitive Health

The study's researchers also found that listening to your favorite song can be good for your cognitive function.

Sad boi emo songs ain't got nothin' on dance music.

A recent study published in Scientific Reports suggests that dance music can be beneficial to your cognitive health. They studied 51 young adults with an average age of 20, examining the effect of "groove rhythms" on the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain responsible for the executive function that dictates our everyday movements and decisions.

Conducted by a group of Japanese researchers, the study added that the music doesn't necessarily have to be electronic dance music, but rather a song with a simple groove that makes you want to get up and dance.

"The results were surprising," Dr. Hideaki Soya, the study's lead author, told ScienceDaily. "We found that groove rhythm enhanced executive function and activity in the l-DLPFC only in participants who reported that the music elicited a strong groove sensation and the sensation of being clear-headed."

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The researchers also found that listening to your favorite song can be good for your cognitive function. They noted that being familiar with your favorite song had a positive effect on brain activity. On the contrary, those who did not feel a groove and weren't familiar with a song had no effect, and some even had a negative effect on brain activity.

The researchers also added that personal taste, ability to process music, and cultural background all play a role in how a person reacts to a specific groove.

"Our findings indicate that individual differences in psychological responses to groove music modulate the corresponding effects on executive function," Soya added. "As such, the effects of groove rhythm on human cognitive performance may be influenced by familiarity or beat processing ability."

Original Article