The brain changes as we become adolescents. Between childhood and adulthood, the gray matter in our brain is lost as neurons are pruned away. “The rate of loss slows down by a person’s late 20s.” The brain also strengthens connections with other areas of the brain and the brain’s white matter increases.
During stages in our life, the brain’s network is organized in areas that work together to accomplish cognitive tasks. As we grow older and mature, other areas in our brain link with each other, and a wider network is formed. One of the most important parts of our brain is wired to others and this part is the prefrontal cortex. This area is the part that handles higher-level cognitive abilities such as planning, solving problems, and making decisions. It is also fundamental for cognitive control which is the ability to “suppress impulses in favor of more appropriate actions.” The brain is wired for cognitive control compared to the adolescent brain, which is influenced more easily by emotions, rewards, and social acceptance while making decisions.
Dance is something many adults let go of as they grow up. It is something that continues inside of us but is not easily awoken. We move on to have jobs and forget to live in the moment. We have a scheduled life that has been planned out for the next couple of months. We forget to let go and destress. Sometimes giving in to your inner child may be distressing but not everyone is brave enough to do so. As we develop, we choose appropriate actions, and dance isn’t usually among them. In this piece, on the left is a child who loves to dance and play but is lonely and is begging for a partner to play with. On the right is the adult version of the same child that does not want to give in to her inner child. The adult is tempted as the child wakes her up and tries to follow the child’s movements. While she is still able to dance with the child, she chooses to stop and go back to her routine life. The child is defeated and stops dancing.
Resources
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/06/180615094830.htm