Listening to music after 70 may cut dementia risk by nearly 40%, new study suggests

A new study that suggests listening to or playing music could slash the risk of dementia might have you singing a new tune.

Adults over 70 who regularly listen to music were nearly 40% less likely to develop dementia — a group of cognitive disorders that cause a decline in memory, thinking and other mental abilities — according to a new study from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia.

Those who always listened to music showed a 39% lower risk of developing dementia and better memory performance, while those who played instruments had a 35% lower risk. 

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Doing both offered an even greater protective effect against cognitive decline, the researchers, led by Monash honors student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan, found.

“With no cure currently available for dementia, the importance of identifying strategies to help prevent or delay onset of the disease is critical,” Ryan said in a statement.

“Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices,” she added.

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More than 10,800 adults aged 70 and older were tracked for several years as part of long-running Australian studies, and they were asked if they always, often, sometimes, rarely or never listened to and play music, according to the paper published last month in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.

Regularly engaging in both listening to and playing music also reduced the risk of mild cognitive impairment, which is less severe than dementia, by 22%, and was linked to higher scores in overall cognition and episodic memory, which helps people recall everyday events.

Dementia affects about 57 million people worldwide, according to the World Health Organization, and the findings suggest music may offer a simple way to help protect cognitive function, but do not prove that it directly prevents dementia.

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“Music activities may be an accessible strategy for maintaining cognitive health in older adults, though causation cannot be established,” the researchers noted.

The overall benefits of music were most pronounced among older adults with higher education levels — those who had completed at least 16 years of schooling — while results were mixed for those with a moderate level of education.

The findings add to growing research showing that creative, social and mentally stimulating hobbies such as music, reading and art may help keep the brain healthy in later life, with a 2022 meta-analysis from the U.S. and Japan reporting similar benefits for older adults who play musical instruments.

Dr. Morten Scheibye-Knudsen, an associate professor of aging at the University of Copenhagen, cautioned that while mental stimulation is encouraged, the science on it isn’t settled. 

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“In general, it is advised to train your brain, but the data is actually not that clear,” he recently told BBC Science Focus, noting that studies on activities like music, puzzles or learning new skills have shown mixed results. 

Still, he noted, “There are additional benefits to playing an instrument … including increased social interactions — which has been shown to be very important as we age.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to the study’s authors for comment.