Effects Of Partner Dancing Intervention On Social Cognition And Brain Plasticity In College Students

Socialization is a fundamental aspect of human survival and development,and positive social experiences can meet the emotional and cognitive needs of individuals.Conversely,social isolation due to a lack of socialization can have significant negative effects on mental health and well-being.Recent research suggests that dance is a comprehensive intervention that can regulate individuals’ psychological emotions through physical movement,provide opportunities for collaborative interaction with others,increase social participation,and exercise individuals’ ability to integrate multisensory stimuli,leading to improved cognitive abilities and brain plasticity.However,most studies on dance intervention have been limited to basic cognitive and physical health in older age groups,and there is a lack of evidence on interventions and social enhancement in younger age groups.Thus,this study aims to explore the effects of a 12-week dance intervention on social cognition and brain plasticity in college students using a longitudinal baselinepre-post intervention and self-control study design.Two key questions were included in this study: Study 1 used multiple social cognitive scales to assess individuals’ social and psychological mood and found that the dance intervention significantly improved individuals’ social embarrassment,self-concept,and psychological mood states.Study2 utilized Diffusion Tensor Imaging(DTI)technique to construct Fractional Anisotropy(FA)weighted fiber tract-brain region junction groups to find microstructural changes in specific fiber tract-brain region junctions before and after the dance intervention to explore structural features associated with social cognitive changes.Results showed that anisotropy at the junction of the right superior longitudinal tract and the right dorsal attentional brain region decreased significantly after the dance intervention,whereas the anisotropy of the junction of the left frontal-suboccipital tract and the left visual area increased significantly.The difference in anisotropy of the junction of the right superior longitudinal tract and the right dorsal attentional brain area was positively correlated with changes in embarrassment susceptibility.Overall,these findings suggest that the dance intervention significantly enhanced the social experience of individual college students.Evidence from this study also suggests that social dance participation may reduce individuals’ sensitivity to social information in the environment and improve their visuospatial attention to basic visual information such as location and motion by enhancing their self-concept and improving their psycho-emotional state.These changes are also reflected in alterations in connectivity at the junctions between the right superior longitudinal fasciculus and the right dorsolateral attention area,as well as the left inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus and the left visual area.