“Brain” by alaspoorwho is licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.

A new study from the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry suggests that listening to music regularly can decrease the risk of dementia. The inquiry was formally published in early October and is based on a decade’s worth of data from more than 10,000 healthy individuals aged 70 or older living in Australia. Findings suggest that those who listen to music most days lower their risk of dementia by 39% as compared to those who don’t. 

According to Joanne Ryan, the head of the Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia research center in the School of Public Health at Monash University and the senior researcher in the new study, “Music is one of the areas we were most interested in.” During annual data collections by participating doctors and medical staff, participants in the study underwent cognitive function assessment. They determined that among the 10,893 total entrants, the 7,030 who reported listening to music most days had the most significant reduction in dementia risk compared to those who didn’t. 

“They also had a decreased risk of experiencing more general cognitive decline,” Ryan relays. “And we also found that in that time period, they performed better, consistently better, on the tasks of memory and also on a global cognitive function test.” She also asserted that the study is observational; therefore, it cannot guarantee that music causes a decrease in cognitive decline. “If we do consider our findings in light of other research that has been done,” Ryan said, “we think there could be a real direct link.” 

“I have started myself listening to music more than I was,” Ryan adds. “I would encourage people to be listening to music, because if it’s something they take pleasure from and it’s also stimulating their brain, why not?”

Additional research from Princeton University’s Music Cognition Lab examines what happens in the brain when experiencing music and suggests that the sound activates certain parts of the brain, including motor and sensory areas, which affect emotions, imagination, and daydreaming, and that this is a powerful tool for promoting brain health. 

“One of the things that seems to be really important is just getting all those areas to talk to each other in meaningful ways,” suggests Elizabeth Margulis, pianist and the director of the lab involved with the new study. “That’s something music is exceptionally good at doing.”

Furthermore, the author of I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, neuroscientist and musician, Daniel Levitin, suggests that the practice of “Listening to music is neuroprotective.” She also shared that while listening to older music can prompt memories and retrace past comforts, the benefits of new music can assist in brain health. 

Read the complete research article: What Is the Association Between Music-Related Leisure Activities and Dementia Risk? A Cohort Study. 

And, listen to songs selected by the author to complement the news below.