Enjoying your favorite music might do more than boost your spirits—it could also safeguard your brain health.
New research from Australian scientists found that older adults who regularly listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared to those who didn’t incorporate music into their daily routines.
The study, published recently as part of the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons, tracked more than 10,000 adults aged 70 and older for approximately a decade to examine various lifestyle factors associated with healthy aging.
Senior researcher Joanne Ryan, who heads the Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia unit at Monash University, told The Washington Post: “Music was one of the areas we were interested in.”
Ryan explained that participants who listened to music regularly “performed better, consistently better, on the tasks of memory and also on a global cognitive function test” throughout the study period.
Study Details
Among the 10,893 participants, roughly 7,000 reported listening to music most days. These frequent listeners showed the most substantial reduction in dementia risk. The research didn’t identify any particular music genre as more beneficial than others.
Ryan stressed that while the study cannot definitively prove that music listening directly prevents dementia, the findings were robust enough to indicate a plausible connection.
She noted that music has been demonstrated to elevate mood and activate multiple brain regions simultaneously.
How Music Affects the Brain
Other researchers explain that listening to music engages motor areas, sensory regions, and the parts of the brain that process emotions and imagination.
Elizabeth Margulis, director of Princeton University’s Music Cognition Lab, told The Post: “One of the things that seems to be really important is just getting all those areas to talk to each other in meaningful ways.”
Playing Music Also Helps
The study also revealed that playing music offered benefits as well, though slightly smaller. Musicians experienced about a 35% reduction in dementia risk.
Neuroscientist Daniel Levitin, who wasn’t involved in the research, told The Post: “Listening to music is neuroprotective.” He explained that it builds resilience and helps protect the brain by establishing new neural connections.
This research adds to growing evidence that engaging with music—whether through listening or playing—may serve as an accessible and enjoyable strategy for maintaining cognitive health as we age.