Researchers from Univ. College London (UCL) looked at blood samples and survey data from about 3,500 adults in the UK. They saw a correlation between engaging in the arts regularly and slower epigenetic aging.
“We found in this study that ‘arts engagement’ was related to four percent slower aging rates, meaning people were about a year younger, biologically, if they were regularly engaged in the arts,” said the lead study author, Daisy Fancourt, a psychobiologist at UCL. “This is actually the same reduction in biological aging that we saw for physical activity.”
The study found that engagement with the arts and exercise were both linked to slower biological aging. Older studies linked physical exercise to slower aging. But how the arts impact aging isn’t as well-documented. Most of us would agree that life is less happy without music, stories or art, but to know that interacting with these things makes life longer is different.
Participating in creative activities can reduce stress and lower cortisol levels. Higher cortisol levels can lead to inflammation. That can lead to aging or “inflammageing,” as the researchers put it.
“Each type of arts activity — reading, making music, going to cultural performances, visiting [educational historical] sites, et cetera — has different effects on us cognitively, emotionally and physiologically,” said Dr. Fancourt. “So engaging in a diverse range of activities—just like having lots of different plants in our diets—is most beneficial for our health.”
The research found that the benefits were seen more visibly in people over the age of 40. As people aged, the link became stronger. That was after accounting for BMI, education, income, smoking and other factors.
“Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological aging,” said senior author Dr. Feifei Bu. “This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do.”
