Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists

Question

The main claim of this article suggests that "hitting the club and dancing all night to music while surrounded by others can have a positive impact on our wellbeing". The source of this claim comes from the 60 minute documentary made by DJ Kikelomo. Neuroscientist, Daniel Levin and Dr. Julia C. Basso were quoted in this film about positive effects that music has on our brain and body. There are not very reliable sources affirming that clubbing is good for you. I think the main headline of this article is very misleading, due to the fact that it is not clubbing that is good for you, but the positive effects that music has on the brain and body, which should have been said instead of the main headline.

Answer 1

At first glance, this statement caught my attention because of the absurdity of what it was saying, so I wanted to learn how this could be possible. Reading the article from "Huck Mag," which is a magazine focused on counterculture and activism, I realized that this wasn't totally true for a coupleof reasons. 

First, the reputation of this source, "Huck Ma,g" wasn't reliable. Huck is a lifestyle and culture outlet that isn't peer-reviewed. While they do report on interesting cultural trends, their goal in the end is to highlight "cool" or "alternative" lifestyles, which may lead to a bias toward positive framing of nightlife. 

When looking for better coverage on this topic, I searched for "neuroscience and dancing" or "group synchrony," which led me to a lot of results. The consensus among scientists is that synchronized movement and social bonding release endorphins and reduce cortisol (Frontiers in Psychology). Seeing this focus on dancing and music and not "clubbing" made me sure that not everything about clubbing is good for your health. Reliable medical sources like the Mayo Clinic point out that the health benefits of dancing in a club are often offset by factors such as sleep deprivation, loud noise, and the presence of alcohol or drugs. 

Also, the Huck article is a promotional piece for a new documentary called "We Become One". The claim that "clubbing is good for your health" is a simplified headline used to promote the film. When you look at the documentary and what they discuss, thescientistst are specifically talking about flow state, te which is the brain entering a meditative state, and the inter-brain synchrony,y which fosters a social connection. Overall, thscientistsst are discussing the neurological mechanics of rhythm and movement, not at all saying that clubbing is healthy. 

Lastly, when taking a deeper dive into the documentary, the film was produced and released by AlphaTheta, the company that was formerly known as Pioneer DJ. AlphaTheta is the world's largest manufacturer of DJ equipment. Since they have a massive financial interest in the "health" of club culture, if they can get people to see it as healthy, then more people will go to clubs,s and more of their equipment will be used. 

In essence, the claim that "clubbing is good for your health" is a marketing simplification. While it is true that neuroscientists have found that synchronized dancing and rhythmic music can induce "flow states" and reduce stress, this claim is misleadingbecausee it ignores the negative physical health impacts of the club environment. Furthermore, the primary source of this claim is a documentary produced by AlphaTheta, who is wanting to promote the benefits of nightlife to help the sales of their equipment. 

Works Cited

• AlphaTheta / Pioneer DJ. We Become One (Documentary). YouTube, 2 Apr. 2025.

• Basso, Julia C., et al. "The Neurobiology of Learning, Memory, and Health through Dance." Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2021. 

• Levitin, Daniel J. This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession. Dutton, 2006. 

• Onsori, Zahra. "Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists." Huck Mag, 2 Apr. 2025. 

Answer 2

The article was published by Huck Magazine, which publishes a lot about culture and focuses on things and people that challenge norms. Their goal is to find people who tell unique stories. So this article is very on-brand for their company. When looking up the same topic i saw coverage from Women's Health and ShortList. Both are publications like Huck Magazine that focus on culture and beauty.  Many claims in the article focus on the benefits of your cardiovascular system, exercise, and reaching a flow state. As well as in some articles, they spoke to professionals in health and sciences who said clubbing releases dopamine and reduces symptoms of depression. While this title may seem misleading, there is some great benefit to clubbing; it is likely an inspirational choice of words. Simply alluding to the fact that going out and moving your body in an uplifting space can be helpful to many people. 

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https://www.shortlist.com/news/is-clubbing-actually-good-for-you-we-asked-an-expert-about-the-benefits-of-a-good-night-out-and-why-we-need-shared-musical-experiences-405535

https://www.inspirethemind.org/post/music-is-the-answer-the-health-benefits-of-clubbing

https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/mental-health/a64352249/clubbing-benefits/

Answer 3

This claim seems to be misleading. While this article, and seemingly the movie, may focus on the effects of club culture and edm on our health and well-being, most of the research is focused on the effects of music, not a specific social environment. One source I found is from the Los Angeles Times- a reliable, left-leaning news organization. This article focused on the effects of rhythm and other musical elements on a person's mental and physical state. Here are quotes I pulled that support the positive effects of music (not club culture specifically): 

“ Rhythm provides power, energy, and drive, whereas melody and lyrics provide emotional depth,” he says. And that power? It comes from a deep connection between sound and motion in the brain."

" BPM (beats per minute) directly influences how the body reacts to sound. BPM is a critical factor in determining the amount of energy expressed by music.”

" It can soothe anxiety, lower cortisol, and sync emotion with memory." 

This is my source:

https://www.latimes.com/live-well/mind/story/music-rewires-brain-dopamine-emotion-biology#:~:text=The%20%E2%80%9CDopamine%20Drop%E2%80%9D:%20Your,has%20not%20been%20tested%20directly.%E2%80%9D&text=He%20adds%20that%20the%20pre,All%20in%20rhythm.