A daily dose of music could be your medicine against dementia!

 A Daily Dose of Music May Prevent Dementia

A daily dose of music could be your medicine against dementia!

A new study suggests that listening to or playing music, even singing along to a new tune, could reduce the risk of dementia by nearly 40% in older adults.

According to the study, conducted by researchers at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, people over 70 who regularly listened to music were 39% less likely to develop dementia and performed better on memory tests. Those who played musical instruments had a 35% lower risk of dementia, while combining listening and playing music offered an even greater protective effect against cognitive decline, according to the research team led by student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joan Ryan.

Lifestyle and Environment

“With no effective treatment for dementia yet, identifying strategies to help prevent or delay its onset is crucial,” Ryan said in a statement. “Evidence suggests that brain aging is not only determined by age or genetics, but is also influenced by lifestyle and the environment an individual chooses.”

The study included more than 10,800 people over the age of 70, who were followed for several years as part of long-term Australian studies. Participants were asked about their engagement with music—both listening and playing—and the data were analyzed and published last month in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

The researchers found that regular engagement in both listening and playing music also reduced the risk of developing mild cognitive impairment—a less severe form of dementia—by 22%, and was associated with higher scores on cognitive abilities and episodic memory, which helps in recalling everyday events. The researchers wrote in their report: “Musical activities may be an accessible and easy way to maintain cognitive health in older adults, although we cannot definitively establish a direct causal relationship.”

Benefits of Music

The benefits of music were also observed in those with higher levels of education—those who had completed at least 16 years of schooling—while the results were mixed for those with average education. The study adds to the growing body of evidence showing that creative, social, and mentally stimulating hobbies such as music, reading, and the arts contribute to maintaining brain health as we age.

A 2022 US-Japanese research review reached similar conclusions, indicating that playing musical instruments improves brain function in older adults. However, Dr. Morten Schaeffe-Knudsen, a professor of gerontology at the University of Copenhagen, urged caution, saying, “In general, brain stimulation is recommended, but the scientific evidence is not yet conclusive,” noting that studies examining the effects of activities such as music, puzzles, or learning new skills have shown mixed results.

However, he added: "There are additional benefits to playing musical instruments, including increased social interaction—a factor that has proven to be increasingly important with age." The World Health Organization estimates that around 57 million people worldwide suffer from dementia, and the study's findings suggest that music may be a simple way to maintain brain health, although it does not definitively prove that it prevents dementia.