Regular engagement with arts and cultural activities such as reading, listening to music, or visiting museums and galleries may help slow the pace of biological ageing, according to new research from University College London.
The study, published in the Innovation in Aging, analysed survey responses and blood test data from 3,556 adults across the UK. Researchers examined how frequently people engaged with arts and cultural activities and compared this with biological markers of ageing measured through changes in DNA.
The findings suggest that people who regularly participated in arts and cultural activities and those who engaged in a wider variety of activities appeared to have a slower pace of ageing and a younger biological age. The benefits observed were comparable to those associated with physical exercise.
Researchers found that individuals who took part in arts activities at least once a week appeared to age around 4% more slowly than those who rarely engaged. This was similar to the difference observed between people who exercised weekly and those who did not exercise at all.
The associations were strongest among adults aged 40 and over and remained significant even after researchers accounted for factors such as body mass index (BMI), smoking status, education level and income.
Lead author Professor Daisy Fancourt from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care said the findings demonstrate the impact of arts engagement on health at a biological level.
“These results provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise,” she said. “Our study also suggests that engaging in a variety of arts activities may be helpful, as different activities provide different forms of physical, cognitive, emotional and social stimulation.”
The researchers used data from the UK Household Longitudinal Study, analysing blood samples using seven different “epigenetic clocks” – scientific tools that estimate biological age by measuring age-related changes in DNA, known as DNA methylation.
The strongest results came from two of the newest measures, DunedinPoAm and DunedinPACE, which estimate an individual’s pace of ageing. According to the DunedinPACE measure, taking part in arts activities at least three times a year was linked to ageing 2% more slowly, monthly participation was linked to 3% slower ageing, and weekly engagement was associated with a 4% slower ageing rate.
Another measure, known as PhenoAge, found that people who engaged in arts and cultural activities weekly had a biological age that was, on average, one year younger than those who rarely took part. By comparison, people who exercised weekly were just over six months younger biologically.
Senior author Dr. Feifei Bu, also from UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care reinforces the growing body of evidence stating
“Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. 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.”
The paper is published in Innovation in Aging and there is further information available in UCL's original article: Engaging with arts linked to slower pace of ageing | UCL News