Study reveals that some people are biologically incapable of dancing

IF YOU look more like Elaine from Seinfeld than MJ on the dancefloor, science has an explanation. It turns out that some people are biologically incapable of dancing.

THIS explains a lot.

If you look more like Elaine from Seinfeld than Michael Jackson on the dancefloor, science has an explanation.

Some people are biologically incapable of dancing, according to new research.

Scientists have discovered that some people have a condition called beat deafness, which is the equivalent of being tone deaf or colour blind.

Only a small proportion of the population — 2 to 3 per cent — is afflicted with the condition, which renders them unable to keep a beat.

And, hilariously, the study found that people were usually unaware of their inability to shake it, which leads to incidents like this:

Lead researcher Caroline Palmer, of Montreal’s McGill University, told The Times that the study’s beat-deaf subjects were referred to them by “loved ones who were having a hard time with their dancing”.

The good news for the rest of us is that our bad dancing probably has more to do with a lack of confidence than being unable to keep time, according to Prof Palmer.

The study asked volunteers to tap out an even rhythm in the absence of other sound, which all participants could manage without difficulty.

They were then asked to tap along with a metronome that sped up and slowed down without warning. Most participants could keep in sync but the beat-deaf subjects could not keep up with the time changes.

“Once they get going on a beat, they can sustain their behaviour, but they can’t adapt to it,” Prof Palmer told The Times.

Science has explained why some people are such bad dancers.

One of the beat-deaf participants, Mathieu Dion, 26, said he found it easier to follow a beat by watching someone than listening.

“I just can’t figure out what’s rhythm, in fact. I just can’t hear it, or I just can’t feel it,” he told US broadcaster NPR.

The researchers are now looking into whether beat deafness affects other areas of life, such as assessing when it was safe to cross the road.

Regardless, if you feel like a doofus next time you’re on the dancefloor, remember the advice of renowned biological scientist Taylor Swift: “Haters gonna hate but I’m just gonna shake it off.”

The research was published this week in Philosophical Translations: Biological Sciences.