In a refreshing departure from traditional workouts, an international team of researchers has identified a joyful and highly effective way to reduce stress, build resilience, and enhance well-being—dancing. According to a recent study published in the Psychology of Sport & Exercise, dancing not only lifts your mood but also triggers a powerful biological response that supports mental health.

“By dancing, we can tap into a natural stress-relief mechanism that enhances our resilience and helps us cope with daily pressures,” said Jonathan Skinner, co-author of the study and a researcher at the University of Surrey in the UK. “It’s fascinating to see how something as enjoyable as dance can have such profound effects on our mental health.”

The study highlights how dancing encourages the release of feel-good hormones such as endorphins and oxytocin. These chemicals are known to reduce anxiety and foster social bonding. Researchers observed a decrease in levels of cortisol—the stress hormone—as well as reductions in heart rate and blood pressure among participants who danced regularly.

Beyond the biological benefits, dancing offers psychological advantages too. It allows for emotional expression, strengthens social connections, and can be a gateway to a sense of community. “Encouraging people to move together can create a sense of belonging and support while enhancing their ability to cope with stress,” Skinner added.

Mental Health Concerns Are On Rise Globally

These findings come at a time when mental health concerns are on the rise globally. Experts are now advocating for dance to be incorporated into community health programs, schools, and wellness initiatives. The accessibility of dance is a key advantage—it can be done solo or in groups, at home or in studios, and requires no special equipment, making it an inclusive form of exercise.

In fact, a 2022 review published in Frontiers in Physiology echoed similar conclusions. It noted that dancing improves both physical and emotional health in children and adolescents, and recommended that policymakers and educators seriously consider dance-based programs to promote long-term physical activity.

For adults, dance can be a fun way to meet the World Health Organisation's recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week, along with muscle-strengthening exercises on two or more days.

The style of dance also plays a role in how many calories you burn. According to Healthline, a 150-pound person can burn around 118 calories in 30 minutes of ballroom dancing and up to 207 calories doing swing. Ballet improves strength and posture, Zumba boosts cardiovascular endurance, and even pole dancing is gaining popularity among older adults for its fitness benefits.

Whether it is salsa, hip-hop, or a kitchen dance party, the rhythm of movement could be just what your body and mind need. In a world that often prioritises high-intensity routines and rigid schedules, dance offers a more joyful, expressive path to health.

Being the most common cause of dementia, Alzheimer’s is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memories, thinking skills and behavioral abilities. These symptoms eventually grow enough to interfere with daily tasks. According to the Alzheimer’s Association over seven million Americans live with Alzheimer’s and that number is said to increase to 13 million by 2050. Nearly 12 million Americans provide unpaid care for people with Alzheimer’s or other dementia issues.

However, are there certain places that have more people affected by Alzheimer’s? According to the South Texas Alzheimer's Disease Research Center, Texas has the fourth highest number of Alzheimer’s and second highest number of deaths from Alzheimer’s in the US. The Global Alzheimer’s Platform Foundation states that the Starr County is where 26% of Medicare beneficiaries come from. It is a rural Hispanic centric county in the Rio Grande City.

What Causes Alzheimer’s Disease?

National Institute on Aging explains that one of the biggest risk factors for Alzheimer’s is aging, most people develop Alzheimer’s when they are 65 or older with less than 10% cases happening before this. Other things include genetics, and research has shown conditions such as heart disease, stroke and high blood pressure could also be risk factors.

Researchers do not fully understand what causes Alzheimer's. They think it's due to clumps of proteins in the brain that damage brain cells. It's likely a mix of genes, how people live, and what's around them. However, one common factor that has been observed by the researchers is that many of these families come from poor economic backgrounds.

Being poor might play a big role because people in poorer areas often have worse air, drive more instead of walking, have more stress, and don't see people as much. She also mentioned that there might be bad things in the water, like arsenic, that can hurt the brain. The very hot weather in Texas could also be a problem, adding stress to the body. Finally, she noted that the large Hispanic population in the area might be more likely to get dementia for reasons we don't yet know.

How Socioeconomic Background of People Affects Alzheimer's

To understand how financial backgrounds could affect Alzheimer's, a 2018 study done by the International Journal of Alzheimer's Disease showed that the number of people without jobs in a region didn't seem to change how much Alzheimer's affected lifespan. This study looked at different areas in Slovakia to see if things like how much money people have, how many people have jobs, and how much education people get affect how long people might live if no one ever got Alzheimer's disease.

However, they found that the amount of money a region had (GDP), the average pay people got, and how educated people were, did have an impact.

More education seemed to indirectly lead to a bigger impact from Alzheimer's on lifespan, which matches what other studies have found. Surprisingly, they also found that when wages and the overall wealth of a region were higher, Alzheimer's seemed to have a bigger effect on shortening lifespan. This is different from what other studies have suggested, where more money usually means less Alzheimer's.

Gardening preserves cognitive function and may also help prevent neurodegenerative diseases like Dementia, Parkinson's Disease, among others. A new study, which was conducted by researchers in the UK, showed that those who grew and nurtured plants as well as lived in greener environments slowed down their cognitive decline. Intrestingly, there is already enough empirical evidence that shows plants reduce stress and improve memory and recall.

It is because of this that many countries have care farms, which get their name from the way they serve people's impulses to work and connect with others. Speaking to the BBC, Henreitte Bringsjord, whose parents founded one of such farms, said, "My mum and dad loved farm work, and they thought about how hard it is for people with dementia to stop working and lose their social life. So, they wanted to help people with dementia become a part of life again."

How Do Plants Help You Boost Neurological Pathways?

The study, which was published in the Journal of Environmental Psychology, stated that nature can significantly increase physical activity and social connection while reducing stress, which has multiple positive knock-on effects such as blood pressure, blood sugar control and healthy weight. According to health experts, physical activities really have immense health benefits, but gardening surcharges those.

To test the same, researchers from the University of Edinburgh investigated if there might be a link between gardening and changes in our intelligence over our lifetimes. The study compared the intelligence test scores of participants at age 11 and age 79. All the participants in the study were residents of Edinburgh and were traced throughout their lifetimes. Of the 467 people tested, almost 31 per cent had never gardened, but 43 per cent regularly did. The results showed that those who spent time gardening showed greater lifetime improvement in their cognitive ability than those who never or rarely did. "Between the ages of 79 and 90, cognitive ability, including memory, problem solving, and word fluency, generally declined across the board, but the earlier advantage of gardeners endured", researchers of the study said.

Besides gardening, these are the activities that can also help you boost cognitive health.

1. Physical Exercise: Improves blood flow to the brain and promotes neurogenesis.

2. Mental Exercises: Engaging in puzzles, chess, and memory games enhances problem-solving skills and memory.

3. Reading and Learning: Reading diverse materials or learning a new language strengthens neural connections.

4. Playing Musical Instruments: Enhances cognitive processing and coordination.

5. Social Interactions: Meaningful conversations and group activities stimulate cognitive and emotional processing.

6. Mindfulness and Meditation: Reduces stress and improves focus and attention span.

7. Adequate Sleep: Supports memory consolidation and cognitive function.

8. Healthy Diet: Consuming foods rich in omega-3s, antioxidants, and vitamins promotes brain health.

9. Hobbies and New Skills: Learning new skills or hobbies keeps the brain active and engaged.

10. Cognitive Training Apps: Apps designed for memory and focus training can provide structured mental workouts.

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John Cena, the beloved WWE wrestler and actor, has opened up about his skin cancer diagnosis. Being diagnosed with melanoma twice, he recalled getting a phone call twice as his doctors told him the biopsy for came out cancerous. The first spot had appeared on his pectoral muscle and a year later it was in a different spot on his upper trapezius muscle. He explains that this information was sobering and prompted him to change his life.

He has also now become the face of Ultra Sheer Mineral Face Liquid Sunscreen SPF 70 that moves to normalize the use of sunscreen among men. He admitted he always neglected sunscreen, but now he has added it to his daily routine. While there has been a rise in the number of cancer diagnoses, there hasn’t been a clear reason why.

Is There A Gender Gap For Sunscreen?

Cena noticed that women talk about skin care and sunscreen more openly than men. He believes it can be harder for men to start these conversations. But he thinks it shouldn't be that way. "Men are becoming more aware of taking care of themselves," he says. "We just need to make it a normal thing." Cena wants more men to use sunscreen as often as women.

Studies show that women are much more likely to use sunscreen than men. However, by the age of 50, men have a higher risk of getting melanoma, a serious type of skin cancer, than women. At any age, men are more likely to die from melanoma. According to the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, in 2020, only a small percentage of men (12.3%) always used sunscreen when outside in the sun for more than an hour, compared to a much larger percentage of women (29.0%). Younger men used sunscreen the least.

A recent survey done by Neutrogena also found that a third of people never go to a skin doctor for check-ups. Women were also more likely to be told to wear sunscreen every day compared to men. Cena believes that sunscreen is often linked to beauty in women's minds, which might explain why they use it more.

Why Is Melanoma Becoming An Increased Issue?

According to 2023 review published in the Cancer journal, in the US, the number of melanoma cases have increased by 40% from the years 2009 to 2019. The number of new cases that have been predicted to happen is 110,000, which is a drastic increase considering the 65,000 in the year 2011. The study says that there is a disproportionately higher risk of men developing cancer and by 2040, melanoma will be the second most common cancer overall.

Cena says he doesn't care if men use sunscreen for health reasons or to avoid wrinkles – he just wants them to use it. He compares using sunscreen to going to the gym for looks but getting healthier in the process. He says using SPF is "super easy," like brushing your teeth. His hope is that men will start keeping sunscreen next to their toothpaste and use it every day. Cena says his own life perspective changed after his cancer scares, and he wants to encourage others to be proactive about skin protection before it's too late.