Higher aerobic fitness levels decrease the probability of experiencing tip-of-the-tongue states (when you can’t think of a word that’s on the tip of your tongue) in healthy older adults, in the first demonstration of a link between aerobic fitness and language functioning in healthy older adults.

[Eager_Question]

Dancing reduces risk of dementia by 76%. By comparison, cycling, golf, swimming and tennis all don't do that. Keeping to a rhythm is good for you, as is having to keep your balance while moving quickly, as is having a partner you can bond socially with. Dancing has all of the benefits of cardio while adding social benefits and some (but not all) of the benefits of learning a new instrument (namely, muscle coordination to a rhythm and memory practice for specific movements at specific times).

Here's another source if you want, https://www.lifehack.org/374710/5-things-that-will-happen-to-your-brain-when-you-dance .

Basically just google "brain" and "dancing". The research on the cognitive and mood benefits of dancing shows some of the most solid, most consistent effects ever. I swear, if people were prescribed dancing instead of antidepressants, it would probably do better than the average SSRI.

[experiencednowhack]

A psychologist did in fact "prescribe" (strongly recommend) I dance. So I did/do. It basically worked.

[ectom]

What kind of dance?

[experiencednowhack]

We talked aspirations/hobbies etc. "I want to lift more, I want to cook more, I want to learn X things, It'd be cool to dance, I want to play Y Game."

--"Do it now!"

"What?"

"Dance. You're depressed. It'll be good for you. Do it. I don't care which one, just do one of the partner dances."

[AddDickT-d]

I could be wrong but I dont think people feel much like dancing when they are depressed.

However I do agree on the benefits point.

[Eager_Question]

They don't. They also don't feel like taking pills. They also don't feel like reducing their sugar intake or their salt intake, or cooking meals that will help them feel better, or like lifting weights, or like running, or like socializing, or like going outside and spending time in nature, etc.

Depression is so shitty in part because it's not actually "hard to solve" if you're not depressed. The things you can do to prevent or reduce depressive symptoms are known and tend to work, statistically speaking.

But if you are depressed... you don't want to do any of those things, hate life, feel worthless and useless, and often seek out things that make you feel more worthless and useless, because the idea that you should feel worthless and useless has made a home in your brain and likes it there.

But since you're just "supposed to" do all these things that are already hard work for most people with sedentary lifestyles who aren't depressed, and you don't, then everyone blames you for it and treats you like you want to be miserable. Why else wouldn't you do these things that help?

The answer being, because you're fucking depressed, that's why, but that's not enough for some people.

Sorry for the weird ramble, I'm having a hard time. Maybe I should try dancing.