Scientists discover best dance moves for men and women

 Men who want to impress the opposite sex with their dance moves should shake the top half of their body while for women it is the bottom half that counts, a new study has found.

Scientists have discovered the best dance moves that men and women should employ to attract the opposite sex.

Evolutionary biologists at Northumbria University, UK, found that men who move the top half of the body are seen as most appealing while in women dancers it is the bottom half that matters.

Wild arm movements do little for either gender, researchers said.

In an experiment, researchers asked male and female dancers to try different moves in front of a mixed panel of volunteers to identify which moves were deemed the most appealing.

After examining three key body regions - the central body, including neck and torso; the legs; and the arms - the researchers found that women rated male dancers higher if they performed larger, variable movements of the head, neck and torso.

"What we found was that males and females - but much more the males - are picking up on the strength of the dancer. When people are dancing with their upper body, they are signalling strength," said Dr Nick Neave, of the university's psychology department.

"We think men are not signalling to women; they are signalling their dominance and strength to other men, and women are simply picking up on that," he said.

For female dancers - judged by both men and women - it all comes down to the hips, waist and legs, 'The Sunday Times' reported.

"When men and women look at female dancers, they both agree that the best dancers are the ones with the exaggerated hip movements. No upper body at all," said Neave.

Neave said the singers Justin Timberlake and Beyonce are examples of good dancers.
Researchers also found that bending and twisting of the right knee holds a strange appeal but not the left knee.

Left leg movement had a small negative effect on viewers, researchers said.