How Art May Help Slow Biological Aging
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The Art of Aging Well: Spending a weekend afternoon wandering around an art museum or seeing a movie isn’t just fun — arts-related activities like these are actually good for our health (minus the gargantuan box of Milk Duds). And the benefits may even go beyond mental well-being: a new study has linked cultural enrichment to slower biological aging in older adults.
The Study: The researchers pulled data from about 1,900 adults aged 50 and older living in England. They found those who went to museums, concerts, plays, and other cultural activities at least once every few months were physiologically younger than those who didn’t by about three years, despite being very close in chronological age.
The Takeaway: Cultural engagement seems to impact aging in three key ways. It helps strengthen social relationships and reduce loneliness, lowers stress and supports mental health, and people who participate in these activities are more likely to be physically active and eat healthy foods.
Keep in Mind: There’s a possibility of reverse causation in these findings: that healthier people are more likely to have the ability to participate in cultural activities. The most culturally engaged among the participants were female, employed with higher incomes, and in better health to begin with.
