Dance-like state detection, curiosity, and decentering: A pilot study on artful movement and mindfulness.

Background: Curiosity and decentering are two constructs that represent momentary mindfulness. Dance is an art and complex physical activity mode, which may serve as a behavioral correlate of mindfulness.

Objective: To characterize momentary mindfulness in relation to a novel, accelerometer-derived measure for characterizing human movement quality (i.e. "dance-like state" DLS scores).

Methods: Adults (= 41), ages 18-83 years old, engaged in the following conditions in a lab and completed questionnaires on mindfulness after each: (1) clipping their fingernails; (2) sitting, standing, and walking on a treadmill; and (3) dancing at self-determined reference intensities with and without music. Conditions 2-3 were monitored with accelerometers. DLS score summary statistics (i.e. median and median amplitude deviation [MAD]) were used in linear mixed effects models.

Results: On average, curiosity [(1.02)] was significantly associated with median DLS scores (= 1.79, = 0.007) over time; adults with a lower median DLS score reported higher levels of curiosity [16.2; 95%C.I. 13.3-19.0], on average, when compared [12.6; 95%C.I., 10.3-14.9] to adults with a higher median DLS score. On average, decentering [(1.01)] was significantly associated with the DLS score MAD (= 1.28, = 0.035) over time; adults who had less variability in DLS scores across conditions reported greater experiences of decentering [15.9; 95%C.I. 13.7-18.1], on average, when compared [13.3; 95%C.I. 10.7-15.9] to adults with more variability in DLS scores across conditions.

Conclusions: Among ostensibly healthy adults, movement quality was correlated with momentary mindfulness. Additional research is needed to understand if DLS scores are differentially associated with momentary mindfulness among adults with Alzheimer's disease.