Communication in close relationships of persons who dance Argentine tango

Abstract

The aim of study was to evaluate communicative behaviors in close relationships of persons who dance Argentine tango and compare them with couples who do not undertake such activity. We also determined the types of psychological gender in our study groups and evaluated the differences between them. The study involved 78 persons (who dance Argentine tango and the control group). The set of administered tools included: Communication in Marriage and Partner Relationship Questionnaire, Psychological Gender Inventory and a self-designed demographic survey. Our data indicated that dancing tango was related to the overall quality of partner communication. Tangueros exhibited significantly better communicative behaviours and assessed their partners’ communicative behaviours better as well. We did not observe any differences in the distribution of psychological gender in the two groups. Our analyses show that the hypotheses concerning the relationship of practising tango and the quality of communication in a close relationship are predominantly accurate. The dancers evaluate their partner’s contribution to communication significantly better – especially their support and commitment, and consider them less prone to diminish their worth. Argentine tango practitioners’ overall assessment of the quality of communication is also significantly higher – both when it comes to their own behavior, and the behavior of their partners. Dancing tango helps to improve communication and can be an effective form of assistance for persons with difficulties in communication in partner relationships.