Can’t dance? Maybe you’re ‘Beat Deaf’

Researchers at McGill University and University of Montréal have found that some people are totally ‘beat deaf’.

The newly identified disorder affects how people synchronize with sounds they hear. The afflicted can’t keep time to music and are unable to adapt to changing rhythms. In experiments, non-beat-deaf people easily adapt to changes in a metronome within a few beats, but beat-deaf individuals seem completely unable to synchronize with a new beat. The syndrome makes it difficult to execute any movement based on rhythm, whether it be dancing, skating with a partner, or simply head-bobbing to a favorite tune. Even marching, rowing or clapping along at a concert can be difficult for the ‘Beat Deaf’. It’s believed people are born with the rare condition.