Arts and Cultural Engagement 'Linked To Slower Pace of Biological Aging' (theguardian.com)
- Reference: 0183194446
- News link: https://science.slashdot.org/story/26/05/12/0653230/arts-and-cultural-engagement-linked-to-slower-pace-of-biological-aging
- Source link: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/12/arts-cultural-engagement-linked-slower-pace-biological-ageing-ucl-research
> Singing, painting or visiting a gallery or museum [1]helps people age more slowly , according to the latest study to link taking an active interest in art and culture with improved health. The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying 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 recognized as a health-promoting behavior in a similar way to exercise," said Prof Daisy Fancourt, the lead author of the research and the head of the social biobehavioral research group at University College London.
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> However, slower aging does not necessarily mean someone will live longer. The "epigenetic clocks" used in the study to assess biological ageing are predictive of future morbidity and mortality, and previous studies have suggested a link between arts engagement and longer lifespan, but much more research would be needed to establish potential causal effects on longevity. Those who take part in artistic pursuits the most often slow the pace of their biological aging the most. Under one of the study's methods of assessment, those who did so at least weekly slowed their aging process by 4%, while monthly engagement led to it slowing by 3%.
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> Similarly, another of the tests showed that those who undertook an arts activity at least once a week were on average a year younger biologically than those who rarely engaged in such pursuits. Those who exercised once a week were only six months younger by that measure. The benefit the arts confer on the pace at which people age is so dramatic that it is comparable to the difference between smokers and those who have given up smoking, the researchers say. The results, [2]published in the journal Innovation in Aging , are based on blood test and survey response data from 3,556 adults taking part in the UK Household Longitudinal Study. It uses blood samples to estimate people's biological age and the pace at which they are ageing.
[1] https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/12/arts-cultural-engagement-linked-slower-pace-biological-ageing-ucl-research
[2] https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geroni/igag038/8669801
Weird (Score:4, Funny)
Whenever I sing people around me seem to get older very quickly.
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To see them get younger, you should only sing in a museum, while painting.
That makes sense. (Score:2)
Cultural engagement and it's "lower" form, escapism, basically represent tribal social engagement and exploration of the unknown/new, you know, the things we previously evolved to be good at. That this sort of activity provides purpose, meaning and connection and thus educes stress totally makes sense.
I personally see and experience an amplified version of this in close embrace social dancing (massive health benefits, scientifically proven) and due to my diploma and experience in performing arts. It basical
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I don't think it has anything to do with that. As soon as I saw the headline, my mind went "cohort study". And sure enough, yeah, it's a cohort study. Remember that big thing about how wine improves your health, and then it turned out to just be that people who drink wine tend to be wealthier and thus have better health outcomes? And also, the "sick quitter" effect, where people who are in worse health would tend to stop drinking, so you ended up with extra sick people in the non-wine group? Same sort o
My suspicion (Score:2)
At least some of this will be stress. If you're enjoying something, then you won't be stressed. If you're feeling positive and delighting in what you do, then you won't be stressed in unhealthy ways. This looks similar to the Mozart Effect, which turned out to be that if you liked something, your brain functioned better.
Yes, charging around the stage playing rock music isn't exactly gentle, but it IS extremely good exercise for the heart and the rest of the body. Again, that's going to have positive effects
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That and the exercise you get while walking around a gallery.
Self-selection (Score:3)
An interesting theory but hiding a demographic detail. Participation in the arts passively and actively is not uniform across all socioeconomic groups but tends to cluster around certain economic and cultural groups. We think one needs early exposure and the resources to become involved -- suggesting perhaps that these folk have a bit more control over their lives leading to lower stress. Have artists and musicians in the family and have seen up close the struggles -- but also the rewards of creating and enjoying the creation of others. Personally, perhaps more exposure as part of the education process might make us all better peoplea. But the question might be which is the tail and which the dog?
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Indeed. People participating in the arts tend to be higher-income, with healthier diets and better access to healthcare.
Also, the causation may go the other way. Healthier people are more likely to get out and go to museums or galleries.
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Turning the link purple to go to the report, then following [1]that link to the actual study [oup.com], you can look at those concerns.
Oddly enough, the post-doc researchers at University College London doing research in behavioral science and psychiatry, published through Oxford University, do indeed answer the questions.
The paper shows is something they noticed and want to investigate further, presented as "the first evidence" not a final conclusion. They started from the UK Household Longitudinal Study data, data
[1] https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/advance-article/doi/10.1093/geroni/igag038/8669801?login=false
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That was my initial thought... I'd bet statistics would show laying on the beach in the Caribbean has oddly more benefit for non locals than for locals for similar reasons.
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> An interesting theory but hiding a demographic detail. Participation in the arts passively and actively is not uniform across all socioeconomic groups but tends to cluster around certain economic and cultural groups. We think one needs early exposure and the resources to become involved -- suggesting perhaps that these folk have a bit more control over their lives leading to lower stress. Have artists and musicians in the family and have seen up close the struggles -- but also the rewards of creating and enjoying the creation of others. Personally, perhaps more exposure as part of the education process might make us all better peoplea. But the question might be which is the tail and which the dog?
It is a very interesting thesis, and yes, early exposure is important for most people. Tail and the dog indeed. On a personal level, and coming from abject poverty, and having zero control over my life as a child, it would appear that my upbringing should leave me completely uninterested in art, yet my sisters are actively involved in art, my older was a art major, and makes jewelry, and my younger is what would be best described as a music curator, and I myself am a musician, and do photography (much of i
Art or just Stopping to Smell the Roses (Score:3)
I wonder if it really has much to do with "art and culture" as much as just general attitude and a sense of greatfulness.
Taking the time sit an look at painting an appreciate it as beautiful or fascinating or singing and taking the time work at it and make it sound right places one in a frame of mind and we know the many parts of the body are impacted by mental state either directly or indirectly thru hormone responses etc.
My question would be do you get the same benefit if say you make a habit of going for a non-strenuous hike and sitting on log for a while contemplating a unique tree, or an expansive vista, or study a wild flower. Maybe you sit and listen to a brook. Does it even have to be nature what if you sit on a park bench and appreciate the architecture of the surrounding city (though that might be clutre/art again in the way the museum is so lets go with watch some children playing or something instead.
I am not trying to devalue art and culture but simple recognize what those things are is a matter frequently contested. It is therefore difficult say 'cultural appreciation is good for you' beyond well these specific activities in the study seem to help slow aging. I also think a lot of those things are less than accessible to everyone. Certainly a walk in the woods or over the prairie might not be either if you live in an urban center; maybe the art museum is more accessible, or the park bench. For the rural or suburban dweller the outdoors might be the best options, especially if your elderly and dont drive. My point is simply that beautiful and interesting things big and small worth spending some time to stop and consider are actually everywhere and maybe just that act is really the key here.
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Sitting and Looking at Art as a form of appreciation is not really a form of engagement. Engagement means using your brain and actively performing tasks with a goal. That's not true if you're merely enjoying an image, a natural environment or even a movie, passively. It is true if you're an art critic preparing an essay in your head without using an LLM.
There are things that seem like appreciation but are actually engagement. For example, meditation. It isn't sitting still, it is concentrating for the pur
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> But your copy and pasting [...]
I don't cut and paste, but I do quote.
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Is there a reason you're too scared to follow other users around with your screen name attached? Or are you just embarrassed martin-boundary won't reciprocate your crush?
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> Sitting and Looking at Art as a form of appreciation is not really a form of engagement.
Don't let any of the art or art history profs at the local college hear you say that, they'll probably turn violent!
Sitting and looking might not be an accurate characterization. I also don't think many of the voluntary attendees (Ie people that were not dragged their by parents, a spouse etc) are very likely to just 'sit and look' they are almost certainly "critiquing" and thinking about it, "do i like this", "why did the artist select this media", "what were they trying to say, what have they actually sa
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> Don't let any of the art or art history profs at the local college hear you say that, they'll probably turn violent!
I've talked to quite a few, I'm still in one piece ;-)
Yes, I agree that voluntary attendees are more likely to actively engage. If they've been lucky enough to learn the process at school or elsewhere, they will know how to proceed.
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See I don't think you need the education to engage. If you want to talk about that engagement with others, compare it other works not immediately present, place it in some social or historical context sure...
Just like you'll probably engage with study the wildflower differently if you have formal training in botany, than if you don't, you can still make personal observation, ask yourself questions especially subjective ones. Any normal person could look at an impressionist work and observe how the image c
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I believe your brain is always active w.r.t. sensory input. For example, round stones become "roundness" then a 3-d metric ... yellow flowers become "yellowness" then components of a Fourier Transform etcetc. Human brains just "mess" with every sensory input ... and we call that "creativity".
Reverse causation? (Score:2)
Maybe those people who are in better health, not aging as fast as others, are also more likely to have the energy and interest to go to museums and concerts?
Another study confirming the rich live longer... (Score:2)
In this case, arts is likely to just be another proxy for wealth. Wealthier people are more likely to engage with the arts and have the leisure time required to do so.
I doubt you can correct for correlation (Score:2)
Yes, you will find streetcleaners who go to the opera, but I doubt you will find one who also eats only fast food in front of the television. When correlation with likely higher impact lifestyle choices such as diet get too high, statistics becomes unable to correct for that.
Wow. People who don't have to work live longer. (Score:3)
Just shows that, if you have the money to not work a lot and stress yourself out on the daily, you can afford to enrich your life with those (expensive) things.
Like that stupid study that said that horse owners tend to live longer that ignored that the same 'horse people' have a lot of money for healthcare and leisure time.
Yup, another no-brainer here.
Wait a moment (Score:2)
Is this a classic correlation rather than causation?
I mean if people didn't have to work shitty jobs for a living and instead had the time and money to paint (extensively), socialise and visit museums all day; is it simply the lack of stress and greater joy that's prolonging their life rather than the art and culture?
If you're doing something like that once a week (Score:2)
It means you have a much less stressful job.
We know what ages people. It's over work. And it appears that once you get past 32 hours that's qualifies as over work, let alone the 50 or 60 the average American is doing right now. Just a reminder that Americans now work more hours than the Japanese...
Somebody that is putting in 50 or 60 hours a week on top of kids or something isn't going to a museum or even the library. They are lying on the couch exhausted maybe watching TV or maybe even too exhauste
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What if you have a job that you enjoy and involves being creative? Figure out what you enjoy doing and get a job doing that.
Now you'll have to excuse me. Amazon just delivered a 20 ton marble block. And I've got to go and chisel something out of it. A David, perhaps. Or maybe a Trump.
The best way to do this (Score:2)
You actually should visit the National Museum of Correlation Isn't Causation if you want the highest effect.
This message ... (Score:2)
... has been brought to you by your cities arts council. Who want the mandatory funding for the arts increased.
Just what we need. Another piece of avant-garde sculpture. Like the one in the lobby of our city hall. That disappeared over one weekend. An investigation led to a building janitor who thought it was construction debris and threw it out.
Money (Score:1)
In other news, people who can afford the best medical care are also more likely to have time and money to visit museums and practice music.
I smell an article about engineering incoming (Score:2)
With Hans Mole as the page image.
*Moleman* (Score:2)
*nt*
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Nah, that's Dunbar's story - live a boring life, feel it lasts forever.