Why take a pill when you can swing your hips? According to a meta-study in the British Medical Journal, dancing wasn’t just four times more effective at alleviating depression than antidepressants. It was also the most promising form of exercise of all.
The test group was fairly small and consisted largely of young women, but whether you remember it from a time at a party or rom-com movie, you’ll know: Even those dragged onto the dance floor against their will must eventually admit that it’s hard to stay in a bad mood when you’re shaking in a groove.
Perhaps even more interestingly, however, literally every form of exercise, from walking to yoga to strength training, tai chi, and qigong worked better at remedying mental health issues than merely throwing drugs at the problem. Sure, some benefited from additional therapy and medication, but here as in many a domain, common sense seems to prevail: It is better to make your own chemistry than to rely on that coming out of a factory.
Look to the experts. Inform yourself. Vet the science. But never forget to run it all by your good sense—and the next time you feel down, crank up some Elvis before you seek other cures.
