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University of the National Education Commission, Krakow, Poland
Purpose Although dance training has been linked to improved psychological well-being, the mechanisms underlying its association with life satisfaction remain unclear. This study tested whether body-esteem facets, and subsequently global self-esteem, mediate the association between dance training and life satisfaction.
Methods A total of 234 women, including 72 engaged in supervised dance training, completed an anonymous online survey. Self-perceived sexual attractiveness, physical condition, and weight concern were assessed with the Body-Esteem Scale. Participants also completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. Direct and indirect effects of dance training on life satisfaction were tested using serial mediation, with body-esteem facets entered as first-stage mediators and global self-esteem as a second-stage mediator.
Results The direct effect of dance training on life satisfaction was not significant. Significant indirect pathways linking dance training with life satisfaction ran through body-esteem facets and global self-esteem, but not through weight concerns. Specifically, significant indirect pathways ran through perceived sexual attractiveness alone, through perceived sexual attractiveness followed by global self-esteem, and through perceived physical condition followed by global self-esteem.
Conclusions Body-esteem facets and global self-esteem appear to serially mediate the association between dance training and life satisfaction. Perceived sexual attractiveness and physical condition are key body-related pathways linking dance training with greater life satisfaction. These findings suggest that dance may be a particularly beneficial form of activity because it engages a multilevel self-system in which body-specific evaluations, especially perceived attractiveness and physical condition, may translate into broader self-worth and, in turn, greater psychological well-being.
