Arts Engagement Slows Biological Aging, UK Study Finds

Singing, painting or visiting a gallery or museum helps people age more slowly, according to the latest study linking active interest in art and culture to improved health.

The findings mark the first evidence that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, keep people biologically younger.

"These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level. They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise," said Prof. Daisy Fancourt, lead author of the research and head of the social biobehavioural research group at University College London.

Slower aging does not necessarily mean a longer life. The epigenetic clocks used in the study to measure biological aging predict future morbidity and mortality. Past studies have linked arts engagement to longer lifespan, but more research is needed to confirm causal effects on longevity.

People who pursue artistic activities most often slow their biological aging the most. One assessment method found that those engaging at least weekly slowed aging by 4 percent, while monthly engagement slowed it by 3 percent.

Another test showed that weekly arts participants were biologically a year younger on average than those who rarely took part. Weekly exercisers were only six months younger by that measure.

The arts' effect on aging pace rivals the difference between smokers and former smokers, researchers said.

"Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing," said Dr. Feifei Bu, a senior author and UCL academic. "This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do."

The results, published in the journal Innovation in Aging, draw from blood tests and survey responses of 3,556 adults in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. The study uses blood samples to gauge biological age and aging pace.

Participants reported how often in the past year they sang, danced, painted, took photographs or crafted, or attended art exhibitions or events, heritage sites such as monuments or historic buildings or parks, or museums, libraries or archives.

"Many of us know instinctively that taking part in creative and cultural activities is vital for a happy, flourishing life," said Hollie Smith-Charles, director of creative health and change programmes at Arts Council England. "These impressive new findings are further evidence that arts, museums and libraries help us live well for longer, and demonstrate how vital it is that everyone, everywhere has access to excellent and affordable culture on their doorstep."

Evidence mounts that arts improve mental and physical health. In 2019, the World Health Organization published a report by Fancourt and Saoirse Finn highlighting initiatives like playing music to patients before surgery and using arts with dementia patients.

Middle-aged and older adults aged 40 and above gained the largest aging benefits from arts participation.

"Across the arts sector we have known for a long time that getting creative yields extraordinary benefits for our health, and this latest research adds a vital new piece to the puzzle, proving that arts and culture can even slow down the biological clock," said Mark Ball, artistic director of the Southbank Centre, a multi-arts venue in London.

The Southbank complex originated in 1941 from the Festival of Britain. Ball noted its description as "a tonic for the nation" was deliberate. "It was an explicit recognition that, after the destruction and gloom of the second world war, the country needed to be convened through the arts to find a sense of optimism and healing. That sentiment is enduring and is needed now, more than ever."