The minimalist approach of 'less is more' can be applied to a number of things in life, and often to great effect. However, when it comes to dancing, it appears that a halfhearted shuffle just won't cut it – especially if you're trying to impress a potential admirer.
While the thought of going all-out on the dance floor might sound excruciatingly embarrassing to many, researchers have shown that releasing your inner diva is actually the most sure-fire way of catching the eye of that special someone.
The experiment, from Northumbria University, used motion-capture technology to record the moves of 39 women aged between 18 and 30 dancing to a 125-beat-per-minute drum-based rhythm. Technology then turned the dancers into featureless avatars, which were then shown online to a group of 200 men and women for them to rate. See below.
The results showed that vigorous hip swinging, arm movements and asymmetric shapes were deemed most attractive. Furthermore, it was found that both men and women were in "very strong agreement" as to who made a better dancer, suggesting that the act of dancing sends signals to both sexes.
This study follows previous work by the same team that looked into males dancing, which concluded that men who tilted and twisted their necks and torsos in a variety of moves were deemed by others to be good dancers.
The psychology of dancing
Researchers say that the preference of certain dance moves in women might offer clues to potential mates or competitors about a range of different health matters. Dr Nick Neave, associate professor at the Department of Psychology, said:
"When you are dancing you are painting a complex biological picture which shows your age, health, motor skills, hormonal status, personality and intelligence to others. Dance is not just a bit of fun; it is a serious way of expressing yourself to other people."
Interestingly, it was found that males generally focused predominantly on the asymmetric movement of the arms, while females were more interested in leg movements. Dr Neave added:
"We suspect that when females dance they are showing off not only to males as potential partners but also to females as potential rivals – it looks as if the sexes are then using slightly different cues to judge a female when she is dancing. We think that these movements form honest signals as to the reproductive qualities of the dancer in question."
What else are the experts saying?
Although the study authors chose unbiased music for participants to dance to, there are still some who think the findings have limitations. Speaking to The Guardian, Bronwyn Tarr – a dancer and researcher on dance and human evolution from the University of Oxford – said:
"The dancers and people rating the dancing in this study were limited to one – Western – culture, and in other human societies men perform courtship dances – for example the Wodaabe people of Niger. So what counts as attractive dancing will inevitably differ to some degree depending on cultural context."
However, she did add that the study would contribute to the wider research into the role of dancing and evolution.
"Studies like this help us build a more complete picture of how we, like many birds and other animals, can use dance to attract attention from the other sex. Based on this Western study, those of us looking to up our dancing-game should remember: the hips don't lie."
The study was published in the journal Scientific Reports.