Effects of Guozhuang dance participation on alexithymia in healthy adults: The chain mediating roles of empathy and social connectedness

This study examined the association between participation in Guozhuang dance and alexithymia among healthy adults, with cognitive empathy and social connectedness as potential mediators. A total of 560 healthy adults completed the Physical Activity Rating Scale-3, Basic Empathy Scale, Social Connectedness Scale, and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Data were analyzed using the PROCESS macro for SPSS to test a sequential mediation model. Participation in Guozhuang dance was significantly associated with lower levels of alexithymia ( r = −0.295). Two significant mediation pathways were identified: social connectedness alone (−0.082, 67.21% of the total indirect effect) and the sequential pathway through cognitive empathy and social connectedness (−0.040, 32.79%). These findings suggest that participation in Guozhuang dance may be associated with lower levels of alexithymia, with social connectedness serving as the primary mediator and cognitive empathy contributing indirectly through a sequential mediation pathway.