Health Benefits Of Dance - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Listening Test 2 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
Audio
Questions
Questions 31–40 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
Health benefits of dance
Recent findings:
- All forms of dance produce various hormones associated with feelings of happiness.
- Dancing with others has a more positive impact than dancing alone.
- An experiment on university students suggested that dance increases 31.
- For those with mental illness, dance could be used as a form of 32.
Benefits of dance for older people:
- accessible for people with low levels of 33
- reduces the risk of heart disease
- better 34 reduces the risk of accidents
- improves 35 function by making it work faster
- improves participants’ general well-being
- gives people more 36 to take exercise
- can lessen the feeling of 37, very common in older people
Benefits of Zumba:
- A study at The University of Wisconsin showed that doing Zumba for 40 minutes uses up as many 38 as other quite intense forms of exercise.
- The American Journal of Health Behavior study showed that:
– women suffering from 39 benefited from doing Zumba.
– Zumba became a 40 for the participants.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | creativity | The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity when doing problem-solving tasks. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a study where people who danced were better at solving problems in a creative way. Answer Explanation: The answer 'creativity' refers to the ability to think of new and innovative solutions to problems or tasks. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'creativity' because the excerpt specifically mentions that those who danced showed much more creativity in problem-solving tasks. This aligns with the concept of creativity being the ability to think outside the box and come up with original ideas or solutions. |
| Q32 | therapy | Doctor Lovatt at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems. He thinks dance should be prescribed ad therapy to help people overcome issues such as depression. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that a doctor thinks dance can be used to help people who have problems with their minds. He thinks dance would be good for helping people feel better if they are sad. Answer Explanation: The answer 'therapy' means a treatment to help people feel better. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'therapy' is right because the excerpt says that the doctor thinks dance could be a treatment to help people with mental health problems. That means dance could be used for therapy. |
| Q33 | fitness | Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard of fitness is quite low. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that anyone can try dancing, even if they are not very fit. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'fitness'. It means the state of being physically fit and healthy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'fitness' because the excerpt says that people with low levels of fitness can also dance, which means that dance is accessible for people who are not very fit. |
| Q34 | balance | And there’s plenty of evidence which suggests that dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript mentions that dancing helps people improve their balance, reducing the risk of falls and potential injuries. Answer Explanation: The answer 'balance' refers to the ability to stay steady and not fall over easily. It's important for older people to maintain good balance to prevent accidents. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'balance' because the excerpt specifically discusses how dancing helps people improve their balance, which in turn reduces the risk of falls and injuries, as mentioned in the provided information. |
| Q35 | brain | For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to process things more quickly and to retain more information. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that dancing helps older people by making their brains work faster and retain more information. Answer Explanation: The answer brain refers to the part of the body that helps people think, learn, and remember things. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is brain because the excerpt mentions that dancing helps older people's brain function by making it work faster and retain more information. |
| Q36 | motivation | Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active and do daily activities such as gardening or walking to the shops or a park. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that people who do Zumba feel less tired and have more motivation to do daily activities. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'motivation'. It means having the desire or enthusiasm to do something. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'motivation' because the excerpt says that participants feel more motivated to be active and do daily activities. |
| Q37 | isolation | This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people’s sense of isolation, which is a huge problem in many countries. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about how dance, especially for older people, can help them build new relationships and feel less alone. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the feeling of being alone or separated from others. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer matches the idea of feeling isolated, which is mentioned in the excerpt as a problem that dance can help reduce among older people. |
| Q38 | calories | John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories. This is similar to moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or kickboxing. | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a professor who studied women who regularly do a fitness program called Zumba. He found that by doing a 40-minute Zumba class, these women burn around 370 calories. This is equivalent to the amount of energy burned during other moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or kickboxing. Answer Explanation: The answer 'calories' refers to the measure of energy that the body uses during physical activity. In this context, it signifies that doing a 40-minute Zumba session burns a significant amount of energy. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'calories' aligns with the information provided in the excerpt where it mentions that a Zumba class burns about 370 calories in 40 minutes, highlighting the energy expenditure of this form of exercise. |
| Q39 | obesity | A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about a study that looked at the effects of doing Zumba on women with obesity. Zumba was done three times a week for 16 weeks. Answer Explanation: The answer 'obesity' refers to a condition where a person has too much body fat, which can lead to health problems. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'obesity' because the excerpt specifically mentions women with obesity benefiting from doing Zumba. This indicates that the study focused on the impact of Zumba on women who are dealing with excess body fat, which is a key characteristic of obesity. |
| Q40 | habit | they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit and continued to attend classes at least once a week | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript talks about how women who participated in Zumba lost weight and body fat. Additionally, they liked the class so much that they continued to attend it regularly. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to a behavior that the women developed after enjoying the Zumba class, which means they started doing it regularly. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer 'habit' is supported by the excerpt mentioning that the women made attending Zumba classes a habit by going at least once a week. This demonstrates that the women started to do something regularly, which is a key characteristic of a habit. |
Transcript
Dancing is something that humans do when they want to have a good time. It’s a universal response to music, found in all cultures. But what’s only been discovered recently is that dancing not only makes us feel good, it’s also extremely good for our health.
Dancing, like other forms of exercise, releases hormones, such as dopamine, which make us feel relaxed and happy. And it also reduces feelings of stress or anxiety.
Dancing is also a sociable activity, which is another reason it makes us feel good.
One study compared people’s enjoyment of dancing at home in front of a video with dancing in a group in a studio.
The people dancing in a group reported feeling happier, whereas those dancing alone did not.
In another experiment, university researchers at York and Sheffield took a group of students and sent each of them into a lab where music was played for five minutes. Each had to choose from three options: to sit and listen quietly to the music, to cycle on an exercise bike while they listened, or to get up and dance. All were given cognitive tasks to perform before and after. The result showed that those who chose to dance showed much more creativity when doing problem-solving tasks.
Doctor Lovatt at the University of Hertfordshire believes dance could be a very useful way to help people suffering from mental health problems. He thinks dance should be prescribed ad therapy to help people overcome issues such as depression.
————————
It’s well established that dance is a good way of encouraging adolescent girls to take exercise but what about older people? Studies have shown that there are enormous benefits for people in their sixties and beyond. One of the great things about dance is that there are no barriers to participation. Anyone can have a go, even those whose standard of fitness is quite low.
Dance can be especially beneficial for older adults who can’t run or do more intense workouts, or for those who don’t want to. One 2015 study found that even a gently dance workout helps to promote a healthy heart. And there’s plenty of evidence which suggests that dancing lowers the risk of falls, which could result in a broken hip, for example, by helping people to improve their balance.
There are some less obvious benefits of dance for older people too. One thing I hadn’t realised before researching this topic was that dance isn’t just a physical challenge. It also requires a lot of concentration because you need to remember different steps and routines. For older people, this kind of activity is especially important because it forces their brain to process things more quickly and to retain more information.
Current research also shows that dance promotes a general sense of well-being in older participants, which can last up to a week after a class. Participants report feeling less tired and having greater motivation to be more active and do daily activities such as gardening or walking to the shops or a park.
Ballroom or country dancing, both popular with older people, have to be done in groups. They require collaboration and often involve touching a dance partner, all of which encourages interaction on the dance floor. This helps to develop new relationships and can reduce older people’s sense of isolation, which is a huge problem in many countries.
I also looked at the benefits of Zumba. Fifteen million people in 180 countries now regularly take a Zumba class, an aerobic workout based on Latin American dance moves. John Porcari, a professor of exercise and sport science at the University of Wisconsin, analysed a group of women who were Zumba regulars and found that a class lasting 40 minutes burns about 370 calories. This is similar to moderately intense exercises like step aerobics or kickboxing.
A study in the American Journal of Health Behavior showed that when women with obesity did Zumba three times a week for 16 weeks, they lost an average of 1.2 kilos and lowered their percentage of body fat by 1%. More importantly, the women enjoyed the class so much that they made it a habit and continued to attend classes at least once a week – very unusual for an aerobic exercise programme.
Dance is never going to compete with high-intensity workouts when it comes to physical fitness gains, but its popularity is likely to keep on rising because it’s such a fun way to keep fit.