You spend hours listening to music on music platforms streaming ? Don’t feel guilty, this time is not wasted, quite the opposite. A new study shows that practice and exposure to music can have beneficial effects on brain health even in older people. Findings that reinforce the idea that the fourth art is a powerful ally for aging well or better.
There are many studies focusing on the most effective foods for maintaining brain health, including: FishFish Fat, The parentparent, certain spices, or even dark chocolate, but it seems that mundane activities, all accessible to a large number of people, also make it possible to improve cognitive performance. The same is true of music. Not content with being soft on morals, the fourth art will also be a companion of choice for improving certain cognitive functions and improving brain health, especially in the elderly. These are the findings of a new study conducted by researchers at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom, who were interested in the impact of practicing the instrument, but singingsingingOn the brain health of people aged forty and over.
” A number of studies have examined the effects of music on brain health. Our study (…) gave us a unique opportunity to explore the relationship between cognitive performance and music in older adults. Overall, we think that music can be a way to use agility and ResilienceResilience of the brain, known as cognitive reserve “, explains Professor Anne Corbett, expert in dementia research at the University of Exeter, in a press release.
Singing or making music at any age is good for the brain
The work is based on the Protect Study, a massive online survey that has brought together over a decade of data on more than 25,000 people aged 40 and over at this stage. This research on the effects of music on brain health involved more than a thousand participants. Scientists have decided to evaluate the experience of music, through
Practice of an instrument or singer, participants, as well as the results of cognitive tests. Published inInternational Journal of Geriatric PsychiatryTheir findings show improvements in memory and the ability to solve complex tasks with practice of a musical instrument, and especially the piano.Music will therefore be beneficial for improving executive functions, but not only that. The researchers also reported better brain health with singing practice, although they qualified these results. ” This may also (possibly) be due to social factors related to membership in a choir or group “, we can read. Interestingly, if it has already been shown that practicing a musical instrument from childhood can help you age well, this work shows that continuing this activity into advanced age ” It is also more beneficial “
Music, an approach to reducing cognitive decline
” Although more research is needed to study this relationship, our findings suggest that promoting music education would be a valuable part of public health initiatives aimed at promoting lifestyles protective of brain health, such as older adults returning to music at a later age. to encourage. . There is substantial evidence of the benefits of group music activities for people with dementia, and this approach could be expanded as part of a healthy aging program for older people to proactively address their risks and promote brain health. », recommends Professor Corbett.
Scientific studies have already shown that music has the power to calm people with dementia, but it can also interfere with other aspects of health. A fourth art, as Canadian researchers recently revealed, can specifically relieve pain, but it also helps stimulate memory on a daily basis.