Sept. 8: Running on the spot, windmill arms and spinning may attract ridicule on the dance floor but it will also attract the opposite sex, claim psychologists.

Researchers asked women to judge men purely on their dance moves and found that it was those that showed the most movement of the body that were most attractive. That means if you use big body movements and fancy footwork you may look like a show off but subconsciously women will desire you. On the other hand if you use subtle movement and shuffle around the dance floor you will never catch the eye of the opposite sex.

“Dancing in the animal kingdom shows off health, fitness and skilfullness and it is the same on the dance floor,” said Nick Neave, the lead author of the paper at University of Northumbria. “It’s all about body movement. Tilting forward, backwards, left and right and twisting around.

“What it shows is strength, suppleness and creativity all of which shows you are a good catch. It is showing off but it really works. What the dancer is saying is: ‘I am young, strong, healthy and fit’.” The findings come out of study that aimed to see whether humans like animals use “peacocking” and “displaying” to attract a mate.

They filmed 19 men — aged 18 to 35 — dancing in the laboratory to a simple drum beat as if they were in a nightclub. The images were then computerised. A group of 35 women then watched the “avatars” in action — without the music — so they could rate their dancing without being prejudiced by physical attraction.