Researchers found that people who regularly engage in arts and cultural activities show signs of slower biological aging.
WASHINGTON — It turns out your next anti-aging habit may not be in the gym. It could actually be at a concert, in a pottery class, or singing along to your favorite playlist.
a new one study Researchers at University College London have found that people who regularly engage in arts and cultural activities age more slowly on a biological level, with an effect comparable to that of physical activity.
The study, published in the journal Innovations in Gerontology of Aging, analyzed data from 3,556 adults in the UK Household Longitudinal Study between 2010 and 2012. The researchers examined participants’ arts participation and physical activity habits, as well as blood samples to measure “epigenetic aging.”
The epigenetic clock estimates a person’s biological age by analyzing chemical changes in DNA over time, rather than simply counting the number of years since birth.
The researchers found that participation in arts and culture, including attending activities such as concerts, museums, or theater performances, as well as creating art, dancing, or singing, was associated with slower aging in several of the epigenetic clocks studied.
Research shows that the size of this effect is similar to that associated with physical activity.
The study looked at several measures of engagement, including how often participants attended activities and the kinds of activities they participated in. The association was strongest among adults aged 40 and older.
The researchers say the findings suggest arts participation could play a role in healthy aging strategies alongside more traditional health recommendations such as exercise. The study did not determine why arts participation might affect biological aging, but the researchers noted that previous research has linked creative activities to reduced stress and improved mental health.
The study also found differences among the seven aging clocks examined. Arts participation and physical activity were associated with slower aging in the PhenoAge, DunedinPoAm, and DunedinPACE clocks, but not in other clocks, including the Horvath and Hannum clocks.
The researchers cautioned that the study only recorded participants’ activities over a 12-month period and does not prove that arts participation directly leads to slower aging. Still, the findings point to what the researchers say is a potential “longevity” lifestyle factor that has so far received little attention from the scientific community.
