If you've ever watched Dirty Dancing or spent any amount of time at a middle school semi-formal, you know there's no denying the palpable links between dancing and sex. Both acts tap into our primal urges, and both can be performed to perfection coupled up, in a group, or solo.
Dancing, like sex, doesn't require music, but it's often the spark to set the fire for a good session. Rock 'n' roll itself was named after a euphemism for sex, and pop stars have been plumbing this connection for decades (think Madonna's "Into The Groove," Salt-N-Pepa's "Push It," and Rihanna's "Dancing In The Dark" to name a few). These tracks show just how blurred the line can be between grinding on the floor and, well, grinding on the floor.
Of course, the connections between dance and sex don't end there. Both activities are good for your health in a variety of ways, whether it be getting your heart rate up, offering a fantastic detox after working up a sweat, or releasing a rush of happy hormones.
Here's what science has to say about the links between dancing and sex that go beyond the feel good basics:
1Hip Swinging Moves Are The Most Attractive
A new study published in Scientific Reports asked subjects to analyze and rate different digital avatars that were mapped from the dance moves of real women. Both male and female raters judged dancing with greater hip swinging as more attractive, as well as moves that incorporated asymmetric thigh movements and intermediate levels of asymmetric arm movements.
2Women Dance Differently Based On Their Cycle
Hip grinds on the dancefloor aren't just eye-catching, but may also signal fertility. In a study cited in Psychology Today, women were found to move their hips more in fertile stages of their cycle than they were in non-fertile stages. And heterosexual men were also found to zero in on a woman's hips when she happened to be fertile, too. Go figure.
3Men With Higher Testosterone Levels Dance Differently
Renowned dance psychologist Dr. Peter Lovatt (yes, that's a real job) has studied the links between hormones and dancing, and discovered that guys with higher testosterone levels do dance differently. Lower levels correlate with smaller movements, but men bursting with testosterone tend to favor big, splashy showboating on the dancefloor.
4Dance Skills Correlate With Bedroom Skills
You can tell a lot about a potential lover from the way they dance. According to survey of 2,000 women by The Daily Mail, 80 percent said they experienced a direct correlation between a dude's performance in the club and in the bedroom. And if we are to believe everything we've heard about Prince, that's one case where the correlation was indeed apt.
Now get moving!
