‘Our Hormones Are Communicating’: The Science Behind Dad Dancing – and Why It’s Good for You
Prince William was often spotted leaving nightclubs after a night out in his early twenties.
But now, as if the clock has struck 12, this youthful romp seems to have transformed into something even more strange: father dancing.
In a viral video captured during a Taylor Swift concert, the heir to the throne was filmed with his arms raised as his chest quickly – and somewhat stiffly – wobbled to the beat.
At Glastonbury this weekend, tens of thousands of men will also be ‘shaking it off’ in a similarly energetic manner.
But while scientific studies have confirmed that older men do indeed dance differently than their younger counterparts – and this may have evolved as a way to signal their declining biological fitness – experts argue that daddy dancing should be celebrated, not planned, because of the many benefits it offers. can bring.
“When I watch Prince William dance, I just see someone smiling, he’s happy, and dance does amazing things,” said Dr. Peter Lovatt (aka Dr Dance), head of dance psychology at Movement in Practice and author of The Dance Cure.
“We know that dancing is really good for social bonding, and that when people dance together, they report liking and trusting each other more. Even when you’re dancing with strangers, you get those effects of increased trust and familiarity.”
Lovatt became interested in the phenomenon of daddy dancing after several studies suggested that the way people groove and boogie was influenced by their hormones, with women rating men who had been exposed to high levels of testosterone in the womb as more attractive and masculine dancers.
Skeptical of such claims, Lovatt began bringing people into his laboratory and testing them himself. He even temporarily moved his lab to a nightclub and took short video samples of hundreds of people dancing, also tested their hormone exposure, and then asked other people to rate their movements for attractiveness, dominance, masculinity and femininity.
“What we found was that, in both men and women, the way people move is influenced by their hormonal and genetic makeup, and when people see other people dancing, their assessment of their attractiveness varies depending on the way they move,” Lovatt said.
Men with high testosterone levels tend to coordinate larger movements in different parts of their bodies, making their contours more interesting and disrupting the rhythm of the music instead of dancing briskly to the beat.
Separate research by Dr Nick Neave at Northumbria University found that young women rated men as good dancers if they had a varied repertoire and more movements that required tilting and rotating the torso and neck – although most men showed highly repetitive movements that required their arms and neck are involved. legs, but not the rest of their body.
Such studies could indicate that human dance serves a similar role to dance elaborate courtship dances that certain birds and animals use to attract a mate.
“Maybe when we’re in our youth and prime, we’re communicating something about how great our hormones and our genes are,” Lovatt said, comparing the aging man to a browning apple in the middle of a bowl of fruit.
“It has been suggested that as we age, the way we dance signals that we are less fertile, less attractive, and less ideal partners.”
Still, he feels uncomfortable reducing the evolutionary significance of dance to this one factor. In addition to increasing familiarity and trust, other studies have suggested that improvised dancing – or “groovy moving” – also changes the way we think and solve problems.
Lovatt said: “We know that anxiety and depression are associated with being stuck in negative thinking patterns, and when people start dancing, those negative thoughts are disrupted for a moment. Their mood improves and they break out of those fixed thinking patterns.”
For Dr Ian Blackwell, visiting professor at Plymouth Marjon University and organiser of the World Dad Dancing Championships, the scrutiny of Williams’ dancing is a reflection of the way society still expects men to conform and not express themselves: “It’s a shame that every time a dad gets up to exercise it has a negative connotation – it’s embarrassing for him and the kids, it’s embarrassing for the audience,” he said.
“We know the value of dancing for health, well-being and making friends. It is something we should celebrate.”
Still, while further research by Lovatt has suggested that some men avoid dancing because they fear being judged, men’s confidence in their dance abilities typically grows as they get older – and once they hit their mid-60s, “it goes through the roof”.
The ruling one World Champion Papa Dancing, Robin Woods, a father of three from Paignton in Devon, said he was not shy about sharing his win on Facebook.
“I think the people who know me from when I used to go out a lot – and always end up on the dance floor – were happy that I was finally recognized,” he chuckled.
“It’s a nice thing – it’s not serious – and so it’s okay for me to make fun of myself.”
Woods, who describes his usual dancing style as “freestyle” with influences from James Brown and Michael Jackson, wasn’t even sure what daddy dancing entailed when he entered the competition, which is judged by children and takes place every September at DadFest in Devon. “I just assumed it would be a bit more enthusiastic and amateurish than normal dancing – so I just went for it and exaggerated everything I did.”
He claimed the title after a hard-fought dance-off with two other finalists, performing to Mr Brightside by The Killers and Baby Shark by Pinkfong.
Blackwell said that while the clip of William’s dance was too short to judge whether he had a chance of winning, “he would be very welcome to come to DadFest in September so we can see the full extent of his moves, and whether he’s got a decent lawnmower starter, Big Fish, Little Fish, John Travolta or Lasso.”
A Visual Guide for Dads Who Dance
The reigning World Father Dancing ChampionRobin Woods shows off some classic moves to get men dancing – plus one of his own.
Starter motor for lawn mowers
Place your front foot on an imaginary gasoline engine and move your arm and clenched fist up repeatedly, as if you were trying to start the machine.
Rusty robot
Like the body-expanding robot movement, but rustier, this internationally recognized father dance movement involves imitating the mechanical movements of a faltering Tin Man robot.
Jackhammer
Imagine you are a miner bent over a pneumatic drill, raising and lowering your arms to the beat of the drums.
Daddy Dip
This award-winning move, one of Woods’ own inventions, involves leaning back and landing with one hand, then pushing back up and landing with the other hand. “I’ve been doing it for years,” Woods says. “Maybe I just figured out I can do it without falling again.”
Baby shark
A dance for the whole family – doo doo, doo doo, doo doo. It involves imitating the movements of baby, mommy, daddy, grandma and grandpa sharks as they go swimming.