Music as Medicine: Study Finds It Could Help Prevent Dementia

Listening to your favourite singers can do more for you than just make you happy or lift your mood. According to a new study, music has the power to protect your brain in the long run. The research from Australia has found that older adults who regularly listen to music have a nearly 40 per cent lower risk of developing dementia and other degenerative diseases as compared to those who don’t. The study, published as part of the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons, followed more than 10,000 elderly people aged 70 years and older for more than ten years to explore different lifestyle factors linked to healthy aging. “Music was one of the areas we were interested in,” Joanne Ryan, head of the Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia unit at Monash

University, who was the seniormost researcher for the study, told The Washington Post. “We found that in that time period, they performed better, consistently better, on the tasks of memory and also on a global cognitive function test,” Ryan added.

What did the study participants say?

More than 7,000 participants who listened to music almost daily had the greatest reduction in dementia risk. However, the study did not specify what kind of music was most beneficial. Researchers also said that while the study cannot prove that music directly prevents dementia, the results have been strong enough to suggest a possible link. She noted music has been shown to boost mood and stimulate multiple areas of the brain.

How does music help prevent dementia?

According to experts, listening to music helps activate motor areas, sensory areas, and the regions that process emotion and imagination in your brain. Scientists believe listening to music is neuroprotective and builds resiliency, and helps protect the brain by wiring new neural pathways. Music stimulates the brain through activities that strengthen neural connections and improve cognitive functions like memory, language, and attention. Experts believe that learning to play an instrument and actively listening to music are the best cognitive leisure activities that engage emotional and sensory pathways and create and strengthen connections in the brain that are key to memory, even for those already battling dementia.

How to incorporate music into your daily life?

To add music to your life, you must:

Participate actively

Make sure to participate actively in singing, dancing, or playing an instrument – even if alone – as they are active forms of engagement that can have a greater impact on cognitive function.

Get your personalized playlist

Listening to self-selected playlists of personally meaningful music can enhance memory recall and emotional benefits.

Integrate music with other activities

You can easily combine music with other cognitive activities like playing games or exercising, which can further enhance its benefits.