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

The determination that clubbing is “good for your health”, is not only wildly broad but does not discuss nearly enough of the full picture to prove this statement. Nightlife such as clubbing, partying, raves, etc. are often if not always places where there are large swaths of people on drugs, nightlife itself is so closely associated with drug use that in many circles, you did not party if you were completely sober the whole time. Though of course this is not needed for people to enjoy their evening, the short term intense release of dopamine and serotonin due to alcohol, stimulants, and the environments that make up nightlife which can cause feelings of pleasure and euphoria due to dopamine and serotonin being not unlike the brain’s “reward system” to go into overdrive. The short term boost of dopamine and serotonin does not just lead to the reduction of inhibitions and awareness but also to a long term depletion of these chemicals in the brain; as NCBI states that “Alcohol directly stimulates release of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is important in emotional expression, and of the endorphins, natural substances related to opioids, which may contribute to the “high” of intoxication and the craving to drink. Alcohol also leads to increases in the release of dopamine (DA), a neurotransmitter that plays a role in motivation and in the rewarding effects of alcohol (Weiss and Porrino 2002)” (https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6668884). This reduction in baseline dopamine and serotonin levels can lead to dependency and a toxic relationship with “cutting loose” and partying every once in a while. Though going out and letting loose may be beneficial for mental health, creating a break from things bearing down on you, it should not be abused as a means to escape reality entirely. The culture of waiting until the work week to be over to get highly inebriated and go out and party shows us how many work environments drain not just energy but positive feelings from employees, leading to the desire to go so extreme through drugs and nightlife.

Comments

        Similar to everyone’s first impression, I was quite interested to see how “hitting the club and dancing all night to music” would have a positive impact on the body. With all the factors of clubbing, you would not expect it to be beneficial for a person’s wellbeing. Well, by doing a bit of diving, this exact fact is not true and the article is misleading. 

       The article is a promotion for a documentary called, “We Are One,” which focuses on the neuroscience benefits of listening to music and its effects on the human brain -- such as the brain reaching a “flow state.” In collaboration with British-Nigerian DJ artist, Kikelomo Oludemi, and neuroscientists, audiences are taken through the discoveries of how music, such as techno and electronic, common genres played in clubs, release certain chemicals in the brain and create a calming, out-of-body experience. Throughout the film, it also goes down a historical time line of influential DJs and producers in the industry.

            I did not know how I felt about the documentary being released by a DJ. But, after researching her on the internet, she is quite an influential individual in the music industry. Graduating from New York University, Oludemi became an esteemed and highly acclaimed DJ and producer. Known for her boiler room sets, she has toured throughout the world, starting in the States, all the way to Africa. While touring, she has also been an advocate for diversity and inclusion in the music industry, and is now a senior consultant in the music technology industry. 

            Further looking at reviews of the documentary, authors have noted the film’s emphasis on how music is a shared connection among communities -- hence for the movie’s title. They do not touch upon the neuroscience part of it, which I believe was a marketing tactic for Huck Mag. The pitch of the article did an amazing job of grabbing an audience and keeping them intrigued, but at the end of the day, it does not deliver what it says it will talk about. It does not highlight how clubs specifically impact the wellbeing of an individual, but rather the music. I see this as a tactic to engage a more science-based audience with the film and magazine; however, what is being shared is not true and is misleading. 

https://tisch.nyu.edu/special-programs/study-abroad/study-abroad-faculty/berlin-faculty/berlin-faculty--the-clive-davis-institute-x-berlin0/KIKELOMOOLUDEMI.html

https://www.beatportal.com/articles/886084-pioneer-dj-we-become-one-the-power-of-the-shared-musical-experience

https://www.huckmag.com/article/clubbing-good-for-health-brain-neuroscientists

Answer 2

The article that you provided says that the music and the social aspect of clubbing is a therapeutic experience. I must note that the author of this article is not the original source of the claim and she is a freelance journalist with no clear focus on mental health or music. I feel like this is a sensationalized claim being that clubbing experiences differs for different patrons.

National Library of Medicine article points out that there are limitations to this claim. People often consume alcohol and drugs but the consumption of these products negatively impact you and your health. Women’s health article talks about the social aspect being good for humans as well as the music being the beneficial factors of clubbing.

That being said, there are other activities that people can participate in that is not clubbing that can give people the same, if not better therapeutic experiences. Looking at my sources I would say that the author of the Women’s health article is also a freelance journalist, but she has a focus on health and wellness. As for my other source, National Library of Medicine, the article is written by 5 different authors and with strong health related credentials.

I would say that your source is sensationalized news given that you could have a more healthy experience doing other things than clubbing that give the same if not better effects on your health.

CITATIONS

National Library of Medicene https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35861283/

Women's Health https://www.womenshealthmag.com/uk/health/mental-health/a64352249/clubbing-benefits/

Answer 3

This heading is meant to have a luring effect to grasp an audience that may be more interested in "clubbing" than the actual findings that are related to this headline and in the article itself. The headline claims that the action of going out to different clubs is correlated to be "good" for your health, according to neuroscientists. I am here to see whether or not this claim is actually accurate in its full extent. 

There is a Harvard article that actually mentions the actions of dancing and music and a quote I think is great to point out is, "Music stimulates the brain’s reward centers, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits." It was further mentioned that these benefits from dancing are also linked to physical exercise. This further proves that the headline could have mentioned "Dancing and Music" instead of clubbing to be more precise and become less misleading towards the audience that will likely remember a headline more than the actual things said in the article itself. The Harvard article further mentions how dancing can decidedly improve brain health, mentioning a study that showcases these findings. 

There was also a club health article I found that further elaborated that the experience of physical movement (dancing) and listening to music can enhance our physical, social, and mental well-being. This article proves that a headline can be accurate and still lure people in to want to read more. The article still mentions events that have these experiences yet it still does a great job at expressing that the reason why dancing is so beneficial is because it is a type of movement and exercise, which everyone knows is a great thing for your body overall. 

The reason I have a problem with the huckmag article is because "clubbing" includes way more than the actions of listening to music and dancing. A night out at the club can be different for everyone, and some actions may include drinking and possibly taking a substance. At face value people may assume or be mislead to think that all actions involving clubbing is good for you and to prove themselves they can just say "oh it was proved by neuroscientists" when in reality the findings was JUST about music and dancing.  Maybe I am looking into this too deep but I do know some people that are gullible enough to believe a headline and not go into further detail about it. 

If anything, the idea of mentioning clubbing in the heading can be a marketing tool to further get people to go clubbing and spend money on a night out. Or to possibly get younger audiences to see this claim, and possibly get some clicks and viewership out of it. 

Answer 4

The claim that clubbing is good for your health according to neuroscientists is somewhat misleading. Some articles connect this idea to research by neuroscientist Daniel J. Levitin from McGill University, who studies how music affects the brain. Research does show that dancing, listening to music, and social interaction can have positive effects on mental health by releasing dopamine and lowering stress levels. Harvard Health Publishing explains that music and rhythmic movement can improve mood and reduce stress. Research published in Frontiers in Psychology also shows that dancing with others can help social bonding and emotional well-being. However, scientists are not specifically saying that “clubbing” itself is healthy. The benefits mainly come from physical activity, music, and social interaction, which can happen in many environments. Nightclubs can also involve alcohol, loud noise, and lack of sleep, which may negatively affect health. Because of this, the claim exaggerates the research. It is more accurate to say that dancing and music can benefit mental health, but that does not necessarily mean that clubbing itself is good for your health (Harvard Health Publishing, 2021; Tarr, Launay, & Dunbar, 2016; Levitin, 2006).

Sources:
Harvard Health Publishing. (2021). Music and health. Harvard Medical School. https://www.health.harvard.edu
Tarr, B., Launay, J., & Dunbar, R. (2016). Synchrony and social bonding in music and dance. Frontiers in Psychology. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01986
Levitin, D. J. (2006). This Is Your Brain on Music. Dutton.

Answer 5

I believe this study is exaggerated due to the lack of personal experiences they are providing when it comes to the people actually clubbing. They predominantly are only talking to music producers, like, "Berlin-based DJ Kikelomo, who speaks to neuroscientists and experts about the effects that listening to dance music can have on the human brain." As well as producers such as Moodymann and Seth Troxler. Apart from the DJ's they only are actively interviewing neuroscientists. "It's a sentiment echoed by Dr. Julia C. Basso, neuroscientist and director of the Embodied Brain Lab, who explains that when people dance with others, it creates a feeling of unity among those who share the dancefloor." I am no way saying that music doesn't release the endorphins and ecstasy we all typically long for, I'm just reiterating the fact that there weren't any interviews centered around actual clubbers.

SOURCES:

Clubbing is good for your health, according to neuroscientists | Huck