Engaging With Art Could Slow Ageing, Study Finds

Regularly visiting galleries and museums could enhance older adults’ wellbeing, according to a study published yesterday in The Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.

The findings indicated that lower physiological age—a measure that reflects the deterioration of physiological function associated with aging—was “significantly associated” with higher levels of cultural engagement and that the impact of engaging with arts and culture “can be comparable to frequent physical activity”. 

In an introduction to the report, its authors, Yusuke Matsuyama, Sakura Kiuchi and Jun Aida, all of whom are based at Tokyo’s Institute of Science, noted: “Cultural engagement, such as going to cinemas, museums, or theatres, has been widely associated with improved health outcomes and enhanced well-being among older adults.

“For example, studies conducted in European countries have found that participation in arts activities was associated with a reduced risk of mortality.”

In the report’s conclusion, the authors added: “Promoting cultural engagement may therefore represent a promising strategy to slow the pace of physiological ageing and support healthy ageing in older adults.”

The trio’s study analysed data from almost 2,000 adults over 50 who are part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Data indicated that the mean physiological age (PA) among individuals who engaged culturally every few months or more was 66.9 years, compared with a figure of 69.9 years for those with lower cultural engagement. 

The idea of “cultural engagement” was worked out using a questionnaire completed by the survey participants that measured the frequency with which they visited three cultural categories: an art gallery or museum; the cinema; or the theatre, a concert or an opera.

There were six categories of frequency ranging from “twice a month or more” to “never”, which were then scored to create a composite value ranging from 0–15. PA was calculated from 10 physiological markers, including walking speed, BMI and grip strength. A fixed-effects linear regression model was used to estimate the association between the cultural engagement score and PA.

The study indicated that those individuals with higher scores were likely to be women, in paid employment, have higher socioeconomic status and have better health conditions. 

There are several potential explanations for how cultural engagement contributes to slower physiological ageing. The strengthening and establishment of social relationships through frequent participation in arts activities are one factor: a 2020 study has indicated that this reduces the risk of loneliness. Further research has shown that adults in low-income areas taking part in cultural activities would also be more likely to prioritise physical activity and a healthy diet. 

The study further suggested that, because it’s possible to modify cultural engagement, it could be a point of intervention for improving the effects of aging—for example, increasing accessibility to events and the cultural infrastructure and boosting activities in the community. 

This isn’t the first study to indicate that engaging with the arts and other cultural activities could slow biological ageing. In May, research from University College London analysed data from epigenetic clocks (examinations of age-related changes in DNA) which indicated that taking part in an arts activity every week was linked to a four percent slower ageing rate compared with people who engaged with the arts on fewer than three occasions a year. The study concluded that public health strategies should also include creative activities.