Each of the five personality types exhibits a different set of movements. Extroverts exaggerate head and arm movements, infusing great energy into their dancing style. Neurotic personalities display jerky movements and shuffle within a contained space. Conscientious people cover most of the dance floor and spread their hands over longer distances than other personality types. Agreeable personalities use languid movements, swinging their hands and moving from one side to the other. Open-minded dancers move up and down in a rhythmic way as if bobbing in place.
In the University of Jyväskylä study, Dr. Luck selected 60 people out of 900 who had exhibited high scores on personality tests. The 60 candidates danced to 30 music tracks selected from a half dozen music genres, including techno, Latin, pop, funk and rock. Motion capture technology allowed researchers to digitize each dancer's movements, which provided the foundation for further study and analysis.
Scientists discovered a strong correlation not only between personality types and dancing styles but also between different personality traits and different ways of responding to particular genres of music. For example, extroverted personalities tended to display the head-banging movement associated with rock music but remained within a limited space. While agreeable people moved with more confidence to Latin rhythms, open-minded people exhibited smoother movements when reacting to techno music. Rock music was the only genre that appeared to liberate neurotic personalities.
Trained dancers tend to have introverted personalities but are able to tap into their emotions when performing roles on stage. According to Michelle Groves, associate dean at the faculty of education at the Royal Academy of Dance, professional dancers mask their personalities. Previous research has focused on people's movement as an indicator of personality type, but has ignored the realm of dance. People who have not been formally trained in dance tend to spontaneously allow their personalities to come through in their physical response to music, and may prove advantageous for further research.