We must thank the Argentines and Uruguayans for taking tango to all corners of the world. A new study has revealed that this type of dance has particularly beneficial effects on keeping the brain young.
A study in Natureearlier this month, by a group of international scientists from 13 countries revealed that creative activities have a positive impact on the brain.
Between music classes, dance, dynamic hobbies such as games, involvement in various types of art, there was one activity that proved to be particularly effective: the tango.
In an article in , research leaders, neuroscientists Carlos Coronel and Agustín Ibáñezexplained their study.
Brain health is the state of cognitive, emotional and social functioning that allows people to realize their potential, maintain their well-being and adapt to changes throughout life. It is not defined by the absence of disease, but by the brain’s ability to maintain efficient, resilient and integrated activity that supports daily life.
Brain aging is made up of biological and functional changes that occur in the brain over time. It includes changes in structure, connectivity and metabolism that may or may not impair performance.
Although some decline is natural, the rate and pattern of these changes varies greatly between individuals, reflecting both vulnerability and resilience.
“Brain clocks” are machine learning (AI) models designed to estimate the age of a brain based on brain scans or patterns of neural activity. They compare neuroimaging, electrophysiological or neuromolecular data with normal brain patterns across the lifespan.
It was through a brain clock that scientists tried to understand what makes a brain more resilient and what makes it age faster.
The new study sought to find out whether creativity could influence the brain’s clock. If your brain clock indicates that you are younger than your actual age, it means that your brain is working more efficiently than expected.
What was discovered?
Researchers collected data from almost 1,400 people from different countries, from Argentina to Poland.
Some were dancers, musicians, visual artists or gamers. Others were nothing, but had equivalent ages, educational qualifications and gender, and came from the same countries. The non-experts did not have any previous experience in the different disciplines.
Their brain activity was recorded using techniques called magnetoencephalography and electroencephalography, which can be used to measure brain activity in real time. Computer models (machine learning models) were then trained to create a brain clock for each participant.
Across creative areas, the pattern was surprisingly consistent: Creativity was associated with a younger-looking brain.
Long Live Tango
Surprisingly, tango dancers had brains that looked more than seven years younger than their chronological age.
Musicians and visual artists had brains that were about five to six years younger. You gamersabout four years younger.
The more people practiced their art, the stronger the effect. And it didn’t matter the type of art. It could be dancing, painting, music or games. All helped key areas of the brain work better together.
These areas, important for concentration and learning, typically age first, but Creativity seems to keep your connections stronger and more flexible.
Creativity has been found to protect areas of the brain that are vulnerable to aging and make brain communication more efficient.
You may not have a penchant for tango or even sympathize with this art form that the River Plate Basin gave to the world, but all it takes is a brushstroke or musical note to help your brain stay younger!
