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You're listening to LifeKit from NPR.

Hey everybody, it's Mariel.

When was the last time you danced?

For me, it was to the hold music on a customer service call the other day.

It was this kind of upbeat classical song.

I was getting after it in my kitchen.

And while I am no trained dancer, some of my favorite memories involve moving my body to music.

I remember my dad putting this song on when I was a kid, and my brother and I would lose control,

just fling our bodies around the living room, not a care in the world.

I also remember in college, in our freshman dorm, my friends and I would dance on our beds,

hairbrush in hand, of course, belting out backstreet boys' songs.

Dancing can be freeing. It can help you bond.

It's a wonderful way of connecting and bringing community and family and people together

to share space and move together. It's healing. It's cathartic.

That's Kevin Malone. He's a modern dance teacher and choreographer in Washington, D.C.

And you know I'm going to hit you with some research now. Studies have found that dancing regularly

can help you feel less anxious and stressed. And a 2024 sports medicine study even suggested that dance might be better than other forms of physical activity

...