Engaging in arts and culture slows down aging – study

Researchers have found that people who engaged in artistic and cultural activities weekly aged slower at a biological level, with the effect being comparable to regular physical exercise. This was reported by Euronews, according to UNN.

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According to a new study by University College London (UCL), regular participation in arts activities can help slow the rate of biological aging.

The study, published in the journal Innovation in Aging, analyzed survey responses and blood test results from 3,556 adults in the UK.

Researchers compared people's levels of participation in artistic and cultural events with chemical changes in DNA associated with biological aging.

How arts and culture can slow biological aging

The team found that people who participated more frequently in artistic and cultural activities—and engaged in a greater variety of them—had slower rates of aging and a younger biological age.

People who engaged in artistic activities at least once a week aged approximately 4% slower than those who rarely participated in such activities.

Notably, according to the researchers, this is comparable to the difference between people who exercise regularly and those who do not work out.

"Our study provides the first evidence that participation in artistic and cultural activities is associated with a slower rate of biological aging. This adds to the growing body of evidence on the impact of the arts on health: artistic pursuits reduce stress, inflammation, and the risk of cardiovascular disease—just like physical exercise,"

The results were most pronounced among adults aged 40 and older and remained relevant even after accounting for factors such as BMI, smoking, education, and income.

Lead study author Daisy Fancourt said:

"These results demonstrate the impact of the arts on health at a biological level. They confirm that artistic and cultural activity should be recognized as a health-promoting behavior, similar to physical exercise."

"Our research also shows that participating in a variety of artistic activities can be beneficial. This may be because each activity has its own 'ingredients' that support health—physical, cognitive, emotional, or social stimulation,"

What are epigenetic clocks?

The UCL research team studied seven different "epigenetic clocks"—tools that analyze chemical patterns on DNA to estimate how quickly the body is aging.

Two of the newest such clocks—DunedinPoAm and DunedinPACE—estimate the rate of aging, with higher scores associated with a greater risk of age-related diseases. Researchers found that both artistic activity and physical exercise were associated with slower aging according to these metrics.

For the DunedinPACE clock, participating in arts events at least three times a year was associated with aging 2% slower; monthly participation with a 3% slowdown; and weekly participation with a 4% slowdown compared to people who participated less than three times a year.

The researchers noted that this difference is comparable to that previously found between current smokers and former smokers.

In another test known as PhenoAge, people who participated in artistic and cultural activities weekly were, on average, biologically younger by about one year than those who almost never engaged in such activities.

For comparison: people who exercised weekly were, on average, only slightly more than half a year younger biologically. This does not mean that one should completely replace sneakers with a sketchbook. Physical activity remains one of the most scientifically proven healthy habits.

But the study results suggest that artistic and cultural activities deserve a place alongside physical exercise in our understanding of healthy aging.

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