Numerous studies show that physical activity is crucial for older people to prevent disease, maintain independence and improve their quality of life, but only about a third of older people are sufficiently active. Whether or not someone engages in regular physical activity depends, among other things, to a large extent on the affective, i.e. emotional, experiences they have during the activity. Pleasant and positive emotional experiences lead to repetition of the activity, while unpleasant ones lead to avoidance. It was shown that dance is a popular activity among older people.

Sabrina Jud investigated how affective well-being changes through dance and which factors influence this.

Results:

• It was shown that affective well-being was significantly higher after dancing than at the beginning of the dance, which confirms the general positive effect of dance on well-being.
• Furthermore, it was shown that the sense of competence, i.e. whether someone believes they can meet the demands of the dance lesson or not, also correlates statistically significantly with well-being. The higher the sense of competence, the higher the affective well-being.
• The intensity and frequency of social interaction in dance was also examined as a further influencing factor. The results suggest that dance forms with a lot of social interaction in the form of partner or group dances have a stronger positive influence on well-being than solo dance forms. In addition, participants in dance classes cited positive movement experiences as their most important motivation (more than, for example, contact motives).
• In terms of promoting good health in old age, a dance program that facilitates frequent social interaction and the experience of competence can therefore be a valuable alternative to other forms of physical activity.

To → Master thesis

Carels, R. A., Berger, B., & Darby, L. (2006). The association between mood states and physical activity in postmenopausal, obese, sedentary women. Journal of Aging and Physical Activity, 14(1), 12–28. https://doi.org/10.1123/japa.14.1.12

Chodzko-Zajko, W. J., Proctor, D. N., Fiatarone Singh, M. A., Minson, C. T., Nigg, C. R., Salem, G. J., & Skinner, J. S. (2009). American College of Sports Medicine position stand. Exercise and physical activity for older adults. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 41(7), 1510–1530. https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0b013e3181a0c95c

Clemente Remón, Á. L., Díaz-Benito, V. J., Jiménez-Beatty Navarro, J. E., & Santacruz Lozano, J. A. (2024). Horas de trabajo, responsabilidad, autonomía en el trabajo y práctica de actividad físico-deportiva de la población europea. Revista Española De Investigaciones Sociológicas (174), 47–68. https://doi.org/10.5477/cis/reis.174.47

Kahneman, Diener, & Schwarz (2006). Well-Being: The Foundations of Hedonic Psychology (New York: The Russell Sage Foundation, 1999), pp. xii + 593. Utilitas, 18(2), 192–196. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0953820806231972