Activity reduces signs of ageing, stress and heart disease and it's not exercise

A woman is reading.

One type of activity is as good for your health as exercise. Enjoying the arts can slow ageing, a study says. The study shows that arts and cultural engagement should be seen as a health-promoting behaviour like exercise.

Researchers found that activities like reading, listening to music, or visiting a gallery or museum are useful. Each activity has a different impact on physical, cognitive, emotional, or social stimulation.

Previous work has shown that engaging with the arts can lower stress levels, reduce inflammation, and improve heart disease risk. The study, led by academics from University College London, examined the biological markers of ageing in a person's DNA.

A man visits the museum.

Scientists looked at DNA methylation, which regulates gene expression. As years go by, methylation patterns shift, forming the basis for epigenetic clocks.

The study, published in the journal Innovation In Aging, examined seven epigenetic clocks. Researchers looked at survey responses and blood test data from 3,556 UK adults.

They compared people's engagements with arts and culture to chemical changes in the DNA. People who engaged with such activities more often appeared to have a slower pace of ageing and a younger biological age.

These changes are comparable with the changes linked to exercise. Those who took part in an arts activity at least once a week appeared to age up to 4% more slowly than those who rarely engaged with the arts.

Doing an arts activity at least three times a year was linked to ageing 2% more slowly, monthly engagement was linked to 3% slower ageing, and weekly activity to a 4% slower ageing rate.

A woman listens to music.

People who engaged in arts and cultural activities at least weekly were a year younger on average compared with those who rarely engaged. The results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level.

The study provides evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour like exercise. Engaging in a variety of arts activities may be helpful.

Each activity has different 'ingredients' that help health, such as physical, cognitive, emotional, or social stimulation.

The study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts.

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