Think you've got to take tons of supplements and spend hours at the gym to improve the way you age? Think again. Longevity these days seems to be all about strength training, ice baths and expensive supplements – but a new study suggests that the key to better, slower ageing may be far from the gym.
Taking an active interest in arts and culture – whether that's listening to music we love, visiting galleries or spending an hour crafting at home – can significantly improve health outcomes.
Published in the journal Innovation In Aging, researchers looked at the survey response and blood test data from 3,556 adults in the UK and compared their engagement with the arts with chemical changes to DNA that influence biological ageing. They found that those who did an arts activity at least once a week aged 4% more slowly than those who rarely did any cultural activities. That's the same difference as those who exercise at least once a week and those who do no exercise. And those advantages tended to benefit those over 40 the most, regardless of BMI, smoking status, income or education level.
Cultural activities have the same benefit as weekly exercise
"These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level," says lead author Professor Daisy Fancourt from the UCL Institute of Epidemiology & Health Care. "They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise.
"Our study also suggests that engaging in a variety of arts activities may be helpful. This may be because each activity has different 'ingredients' that help health, such as physical, cognitive, emotional or social stimulation."
This is just the latest study to suggest the importance of non-health-related activities in longevity and ageing. A 2023 study of 28,000 over-60s in China found that mortality risk dropped by a striking 42% in those who socialised occasionally.
While visiting a gallery solo or listening to your favourite album might not be quite the same as a regular coffee date with your friends, this latest piece of research confirms that doing things that bring us joy is a huge part of wellbeing.
You don't have to do much to reap the benefits, either. Doing an arts activity just three times a year was linked to ageing 2% more slowly, going up to 4% for those who did it weekly. That difference in pace of ageing, the researchers say, is comparable to previous studies between current and ex-smokers.
If you ever needed a push to see more shows or make time for your go-to childhood hobby, this is it.