New Study Suggests That Ballet Dancing Can Make You a Better Person

Can ballet dancing make you a better person? A new study reported by the Washington Post on Thursday suggests so. Reportedly, the recent scientific findings reveal that ballet dancers are more emotionally cognizant and empathetic.

The study, published in August's edition of Journal of Experimental Psychology: Human Perception and Performance, showed brief video clips of ballet and dance performances to a group of professional dancers and a group of non-dancers. Both groups were asked to rate their emotional response to the clips.

As reported by journalist Sarah L. Kaufman in the Post piece, the study's findings supported the theory that the professional dancers displayed "stronger reactions to the emotional content":

"The very cool thing about this study is that the dancers not only recognized the emotions better, but their bodies would also respond more sensitively to the displayed emotional movements," says Julia F. Christensen, a research fellow in the Cognitive Neuroscience Research Unit at City University London, and lead author of the study. "Dancers' bodies differentiated between different emotions that were expressed in the clips, where the controls didn't."

It has long been understood that ballet and other forms of dance can benefit not only a persons emotional health, but also their physical well-being. An informative guide from the BBC's iWonder series lists just some of the many health benefits of regular participation in ballet dancing:

"Regular participation in ballet can improve posture and balance, resulting in a long, lean, elegant figure. It is, however, also an extreme form of movement that puts a lot of pressure on joints. The physical benefits of taking up ballet will become noticeable within a few weeks of regular attendance at a class."

Below, watch a video of some very celebrated ballet dancing -- the "Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy" from Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker.

We want to hear from you. Have you ever danced in a ballet performance? Do you enjoy watching the art of ballet? Let us know how you feel in the comments section at the bottom of this page!

TagsBallet, Ballet Dancing, Julia F. Christensen, Sarah L. Kaufman, Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker