A spin around the dancefloor is the best way to make friends

IF you want children to become friends, getting them to dance together could be a good first step, researchers claim.

In fact, they say it is probably a good way to get different people of any age to gel.

Their study found that when children dance together to music, it makes them feel warmer towards another group.

This was the case even if they did not like the others much in the first place.

The Oxford University team divided 100 children aged seven to 12 into two groups, with a mixture of boys and girls.

All were given headphones, and one group was asked to dance to music of various tempos, while the other listened to music with the same rhythm.

The groups were taught simple dance moves in front of the others, such as step-

‘Overcome feelings of them and us’

ping to the side and swinging their arms in time to the beat. The two groups then faced each other and performed their moves at the same time.

Questioned later, they said that before performing they liked their own group best. Afterwards, however, children who had danced in time with each other felt warmer towards the other group.

But there was no evidence of this bonding from children who danced to varied beats.

Co-author Emma Cohen, of the Institute of Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology, said: ‘There is growing evidence to support the common wisdom that when individuals move together, whether in dance, sport, ceremonial rituals, or playground games, they feel closer. The results suggest group activity where they co-ordinate moves in time with one another can overcome feelings of “them and us”.’