Older people who listen to music often slash their risk of dementia by more than a third, according to a new study.
The researchers studied people over the age of 70 and found that listening to music—or playing an instrument—is linked to a reduction of up to 39% in the chances of developing the debilitating condition.
Increases in life expectancy due to advances in medicine and technology have seen a rise in the prevalence of age‐related diseases, including dementia and cognitive decline.
The new study, involving more than 10,800 older people, looked at the benefits of listening to or playing music.
The findings showed that always listening to music—compared with never, rarely, or sometimes doing so—was associated with a 39% decreased risk of dementia.
Playing an instrument was associated with a 35% reduction in dementia risk, according to the study published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
Always listening to music was also associated with a 17% lower incidence of cognitive impairment, as well as higher scores in overall cognition and ‘episodic memory’, which is used when recalling everyday events.
Regularly engaging in both listening to and playing music was associated with a 33% decreased risk of dementia and 22% decreased risk of cognitive impairment.
“Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices,” said the study’s senior author Professor Joanne Ryan of Monash University in Australia.
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“With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical.
“Our study suggests that lifestyle-based interventions, such as listening and/or playing music can promote cognitive health,” she added.
The results are promising, though “causation cannot be established,” suggested study co-author Emma Jaffa.
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“Music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults.”
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