Acute responses to solo, free-form dance in adults: A pilot study on mindfulness and affect

Background:

Mindfulness may be associated with persistent participation in discrete physical activity (PA) modes; however, research is needed to better understand acute changes in mindfulness in relation to PA exposures.

Purpose:

To characterize acute changes in mindfulness in response to solo, free-form dancing among adults.

Methods:

Community-dwelling adults (N=42), 18-83 years old [mean(SD); age: 40(18); BMI: 24.6(4.5), years dance training: range 0-56], completed the Toronto Mindfulness Scale and Positive and Negative Affective Schedule after finishing three conditions in a lab: (1) clipping their own fingernails (baseline); (2) sitting, standing, and walking at three self-selected treadmill speeds; and (3) dancing solo with and without music at self-determined PA intensities. Total energy expenditure (TEE; kilocalories), was assessed continuously across conditions 2-3 using indirect calorimetry. For each state mindfulness construct (i.e., curiosity and decentering), linear mixed effects models were fit with the condition effect coded, controlling for age, log-transformed years of dance training, TEE, positive (PSA) and negative (NGA) affect, the baseline level of each respective state, and PSAxTEE interaction. The significance level was set at α=0.05.

Results:

Curiosity after dancing did not differ (ß=0.09,p>0.05) from the mean level of curiosity over time [ß=14.4(0.59)], adjusting for age (ß=-0.08,p=0.04), baseline curiosity (ß=0.34, p=0.002), TEE (ß=-0.03,p=0.048), PSA (ß=0.29,p0.05). Decentering after dancing was higher (ß=1.03,p=0.005) than the mean level of decentering over time [ß=16.7(0.38)], adjusting for dance training (ß=0.63,p=0.047), PSA (ß=0.23,p<0.001), NGA (ß=-0.28,p=0.015), baseline decentering (ß=0.67,p0.05).

Conclusions:

Dancing was positively associated with decentering. Changes in curiosity were not detected in response to dancing; however, a differential relationship was observed between TEE and curiosity depending upon concurrent experiences of PSA.

Practical implications:

Free-form dance requires no instruction nor prior training; participation in free-form dancing is associated with higher state mindfulness.

Funding:

National Endowment for the Arts #1879058-38-C