Dance your way to a smarter you, researchers say

Fascinating new study finds dancing can make you smarter.

For the study, volunteers undertook a series of mental assessments that included decision-making skills and abilities to avoid distractions, the Daily Mail reported.

The participants then took a salsa class for 30 minutes that was led by an instructor and scientist Dr Pablo Domene. The moves became faster and more complex as the session progressed. They were then reassessed on the mental assessments.

That one session yielded amazing results:

* People were able to understand new information better by 8%
* Memory by 18%
* Focus by 13%

"Dance is physically active but it's also very coordinative," lead author of the study Professor Michael Duncan from Coventry University is quoted as saying by the BBC.

He believes salsa is one of those forms of dance that is particularly challenging. "You have to think about the steps, you have to think about the pattern, you have to think about staying in time with the music," the researcher went on to explain. Adding, "So that requires a lot of cognitive manipulation while the dance is going on, while you are also physically exerting themselves."

Even though many people don't make time for exercise because of their hectic schedules, researchers feel making time for dance can help people have a productive day and keep them more focused.