Q.  How is dancing one of those “Cheap Psychological Tricks for Lovers?”

A.  Because it often works, says Perry Buffington in his book of the above title.  As Arthur Murray well understood, it is possible to dance away the blues, with strong exercise being a mood enhancer.  Plus, you and your lover are “strengthening the bond that holds you together,” locked in the same fun step, same timing, Buffington says.  Eyes meet, which is great because eye-to-eye gaze quickens amour, something couples often forget.  They’re also sharing the primitive biology of pheromonal outpourings of sweat.  Lost in the music, you feel worries drift away as a “flow state” engulfs you, like athletes on a performance high slipping “into the zone,” time standing still.  Maybe it’s just a little two-step but with luck you’ll both be “waltzing through life together”.

Taken from ‘Strange But True’ column by Bill Sones and Rich Sones, Ph. D. in THE PLAIN DEALER, Cleveland, OH, December 21, 2009