Listening To Music Linked To 39% Lower Dementia Risk, New Study Says

A new study showed that regularly listening to music, whether its’ from Sir Mix A Lot (pictured here) or someone else, is associated with lower likelihoods of cognitive decline and dementia. (Photo by Anthony Pidgeon/Redferns via Getty Images)

Redferns via Getty Images

Now, you have even more reason to keep playing “Baby’s Got Back” on loop well into your 70s, 80s and 90s. That’s because fellas (yeah,) fellas (yeah) and ladies (yeah), ladies (yeah) a new analysis recently published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry found that those over 70 years of age who always listened to music had a 39% lower risk of having dementia than those who never, rarely or only sometimes did. And playas, meaning those who played a musical instrument, had a 35% lower risk of having dementia than those who didn’t.

Both Listening To And Playing Music Were Associated With Lower Likelihoods of Dementia

The analysis was conducted by a research team from Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, (Emma Jaffa, Zimu Wu, Alice Owen, Aung Azw Zaw Phyo, Robyn L. Woods, Suzanne G. Orchard, Trevor T.-J. Chong and Joanne Ryan) and Rush University (Raj C. Shah) and Hennepin Health (Anne Murray) in the U.S. The team looked at data on 10,893 older Australians from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub‐study. While this study didn’t ask participants specifically about whether they listed to that Sir Mix-a-Lot song, it did inquire about their music listening and playing habits in general.

Here are some other results that weren’t necessarily newly radical. Those with the music in them—meaning they were always listeining to music—had a 17% lower rate of cognitive impairment, along with better scores in overall cognition and the ability to recall everyday events. And those who both listened to and played music regularly had 33% and 22% decreased likelihoods of dementia and cognitive impairment, respectively.

The Music And Dementia Study Did Have Limitations

Of course, such a study can only show possible associations and cannot demonstrate cause-and-effect. For example, just because those who listen to Rosé’s “APT” regularly probably tend to be younger than those who listen to the Andrew Sisters’ “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy” doesn’t mean that lyrics like “Kissy face, kissy face sent to your phone, but I’m tryna kiss your lips for real” will reverse your aging. It might be that those who regularly listen to or play music do so because they have less cognitive impairment. Or perhaps they are more likely to have other things such as regular social interactions and better healthcare that could have affected their health.

The analyses also didn’t look at how each individual may have progressed over time. This includes how both their music habits and their cognitive abilities may have changed with age. Knowing these things would offer better insight as to what have been happening.

Finally, these data are based in big part on self-report. An individual may not remember how often he or she has listened to music. For example, does music in the elevator or in movies count? What about someone listening to music nearby? Having impaired cognition can make this even more difficult to track accurately.

Music Can Stimulate The Brain And Perhaps That Can Help Protect Againts Dementia

Nonetheless, as alluded to earlier in the New Radicals allusion, these results shouldn’t be too surprising. Brain scans have revealed that hearing music can stimulate different parts of the brain. After all, how can you hear, “Come on, Barbie, let’s go party,” and not wonder where and how exactly Barbie is going to party?

At the same time, while scientists haven’t yet figured out to fully treat many different types of dementia, evidence does suggest that actively using the brain may prevent or slow cognitive decline. Your brain can be like many other parts of your body like your muscles. It can be a use it or lose situation.

And brain use and stimulation is not just all about that bass. Just because you don’t listen to or play music doesn’t mean that you don’t have other options to keep your brain active. There are many ways to challenge yourself mentally, ranging from playing word games to learning new skills to, gasp, actually listening and considering other point of views. Mixing with more diverse groups of people may help, too.

The results from this study do offer encouragement that you and your loved ones can do something about cognitive decline and dementia. I’ve already covered in Forbes studies that have suggested associations with physical activity, diet and other lifestyle factors. And recently I wrote about my conversation with Academy Award winning actress Julianne Moore, where she talked about the “Brain Health Matters” campaign that she’s involved in to get everyone to take more steps to reduce the risk of brain health issues like dementia from Alzheimer’s Disease and other causes.

One more thing. It would be interesting to see (or hear) whether the type of music matters when it comes to dementia risk. One might think that a greater variety of music could stimulate your brain in a greater variety of ways. After all, Pachelbel’s “Canon” may prompt different thoughts and feelings in you than Hanson’s “mmmBop.” So it may help mix-a-lot your song selections.