Dancing with Gravity-Why the Sense of Balance Is (the) Fundamental

Abstract

The sense of balance, which is usually barely noticeable in the background of each of our movements, only becomes manifest in its function during intense stimulation or in the event of illness, which may quite literally turn your world upside down. While it is true that balance is becoming a bigger issue, that is mainly because people are losing it more frequently. So why is balance not as commonly talked about in psychology, medicine or the arts as the other five traditional senses? This is partly due to its unusual multi-modal nature, whereby three sensory inputs are coordinated and integrated by the central nervous system. Without it, however, we might not have much use for the other senses. The sense of balance encompasses the bodily experience in its entirety. Not only do we act with the body, we may also think and feel through it and with it. Bodily states are not simply effects of cognition; they cause it as well. Equilibrioception is an essential sense and it is interconnected with a wide range of other areas, including cognition, perception, embodiment, the autonomic nervous system, aesthetics, the arts, and education.

Keywords: arts; balance; cognition; embodiment; vestibular system.

Figure 1

The human balance system. Courtesy of the Vestibular Disorders Association (vestibular.org).

Figure 2

“Art of Balance” (2006). Painting by Ilya Zomb (http://www.zombart.com). The image displays both metaphorical and performed balance.