Initial Investigation into Neurophysiological Correlates of Argentine Tango Flow States: a Case Study

Argentine tango has been shown to help psychological and physical health by reducing perceived levels of depression and stress, similar and at times better than meditation. An often reported experience in Argentine tango is "flow", which is described as total involvement from the dancers. While this state has been self-reported by experienced dancers while dancing, it has yet to be quantified in real-time. However, with the emergence of portable and wearable devices for the acquisition of physiological signals such as electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG), and recent innovations in EEG artifact removal algorithms, this quantification may now be possible. In this work presents a case study where we aim to first validate the potential of recording usable EEG and ECG data from dancers while dancing, in an unobtrusive manner, as well as investigate the existence of neurophysiological correlates of Argentine tango flow.