RESEARCH CENTRE: How to be a Dancing Queen

A dancing woman is seen in silhouette. Photo/AFP

What you need to know:

  • According to the researchers, swinging hips is a feminine trait so the more you swing your hips, the more feminine and attractive you come off.
  • When your movements are symmetrical, you are displaying a high level of motor control and the absence of any sort of neurological dysfunction, which is also very attractive.

Do you struggle with dancing? Do you yearn to be that mesmerizing woman on the dance floor who keeps everyone entranced with her fluid, graceful movements? If you think the answer is in how you move your feet, you’re wrong. The findings of an interesting new study suggest that for a woman on the dance floor, all the magic is in your hips; the more you swing them, the better you look.

For this study, researchers from Northumbria University in Newcastle recorded the dance movements of 39 women moving to a drum beat, and then turned the images into 3D avatars in order to stop the research subjects from being distracted by colour, shape, size or dress.

The researchers then found 200 subjects to rate the dance moves of the 39 avatars. They found that the women who moved their hips when they danced were rated better dancers than the women who kept their hips still. Also, symmetric thigh and hand movements led to a women being rated highly.

THE SCIENCE BEHIND IT

“These movements are honest signals as to the physical capabilities of the mover,” Dr Nick Neave, the lead study author, said in a bid to explain these findings.

According to the researchers, swinging hips is a feminine trait so the more you swing your hips, the more feminine and attractive you come off. When your movements are symmetrical, you are displaying a high level of motor control and the absence of any sort of neurological dysfunction, which is also very attractive.

The researchers concluded that when a woman is dancing, she is subconsciously sending messages to both sexes. She is showing how good she is to women, and trying to attract male partners. In turn, the person observing a woman dancing is able to tell a whole lot of things about her, ranging from her personality and her health to her hormonal status and even her intelligence.

The next time you are out in a social setting, let your hair down and swing those hips!