New research results show that older adults who regularly listen to music or play an instrument are significantly less at risk of developing dementia.
A team of researchers at Monash University in Australia examined data from more than 10,800 people over the age of 70 and found that the likelihood of developing dementia was 39 percent lower in those who listened to music most days compared with those who sometimes, rarely, or never listened to music.
The incidence of cognitive impairment was also 17 percent lower in people who consistently listened to music, and these individuals scored higher overall on cognitive tests and had better episodic memory. Episodic memory refers to the part of long-term memory for remembering specific events, places, and experiences.
Playing an instrument and even singing were also associated with a 35 percent reduction in dementia risk. In people who both regularly listened to music and performed it, the risk of dementia was 33 percent lower and the risk of cognitive impairment 22 percent lower.
For older adults worried about developing dementia—a disease that affects millions and whose prevalence is increasing with longer life expectancy—listening to music is an easy, low-effort way to reduce some of that anxiety.
But Java, a biomedical science student at Monash who carried out this research with Joann Ryan, Professor of Biological Psychiatry at the university, says: “We know that listening to music engages multiple brain regions simultaneously and acts like exercise for the whole brain.”
Java is interested in research whose results can be directly applied in people’s lives, and since she herself is a bass guitarist and singer, combining her personal interest in music with the prospect of findings that can help others was a main motivation for this research.
She told HuffPost: “Previous studies have shown that music improves processing speed, language abilities, memory, and motor coordination. Additionally, music is often accompanied by socializing and interaction with others, which helps protect brain health.”
Java added that the question she is asked most about this research is whether some music styles are more beneficial than others. She has no answer to that question because participants were not asked what music styles they listen to, but she says this is certainly something she wants to investigate in future research.
Another issue she intends to examine is whether listening to music also affects the reduction of cognitive decline risk in people under 70.
Of course, the results of this study only show an association between listening to music and reduced dementia risk and do not mean that music alone can prevent the disease.
Given that dementia has a very serious impact on patients’ lives and that those affected face speech problems, memory loss, mood changes, and difficulty performing daily activities, it is not surprising that researchers such as Ryan and Java are examining this issue from multiple angles.
Another study published in October in the American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry showed that having a sense of purpose in life may help increase the brain’s resilience against dementia and is associated with a reduced risk of the disease.
Other research-supported ways to boost cognitive resilience in aging include moderate to vigorous physical activity, spending time with others, and even doing household chores. Listening to music can now be added to that list.