Enjoying the arts may be as vital as exercise in slowing the ageing process, new research suggests. Academics at University College London (UCL) found that people who engaged with arts and cultural activities at least once a week appeared to age up to 4% more slowly than those who rarely took part – a rate of deceleration comparable to the difference between those who exercise weekly and those who do none.
Core findings on biological ageing
The study, published in the journal Innovation in Aging, examined survey responses and blood test data from 3,556 adults in the UK, drawn from the UK Household Longitudinal Study (Understanding Society). Researchers compared participants’ self-reported engagement with a wide range of arts and cultural activities – including reading, listening to music, visiting galleries or museums, singing, dancing, painting, photography and crafting – to chemical markers of biological ageing found in their DNA.
After analysing seven distinct “epigenetic clocks”, the team found that a greater frequency and variety of engagement was associated with a slower pace of biological ageing. Specifically, people who took part in an arts activity at least three times a year were linked to ageing 2% more slowly; monthly engagement was linked to 3% slower ageing; and weekly activity to a 4% slower rate, compared with those who engaged fewer than three times a year. On one of the clocks examined, weekly arts participants were, on average, a year younger biologically than those who rarely engaged – a stronger effect than that seen for weekly exercise, which was associated with being only six months younger.
The results remained significant even after the researchers adjusted for factors known to influence health, such as body mass index, smoking status, education level and income. The links between arts engagement and slower ageing were particularly pronounced among middle-aged and older adults aged 40 and above.
How the study measured ageing: the epigenetic clock
To understand the biological impact of arts engagement, the scientists turned to a process called DNA methylation. Over time, chemical tags known as methyl groups are added to or removed from specific sites on a person’s DNA, influencing which genes are expressed without altering the underlying genetic code. These methylation patterns shift predictably as people age, forming what researchers call “epigenetic clocks” – molecular tools that can estimate an individual’s biological age and the pace at which they are ageing.
The study analysed seven such clocks using blood samples from the participants. By comparing the DNA methylation profiles of people with different levels of arts engagement, the academics were able to isolate a biological slowdown linked to cultural activities. “These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level,” said lead author Professor Daisy Fancourt, from UCL’s Institute of Epidemiology and Health Care.
Expert reaction and context
Professor Fancourt, who also directs the WHO Collaborating Centre on Arts and Health, added: “They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise. Our study also suggests that engaging in a variety of arts activities may be helpful. This may be because each activity has different ‘ingredients’ that help health, such as physical, cognitive, emotional or social stimulation.”
The findings build on a growing body of evidence. Previous research has shown that arts engagement can lower stress, reduce inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, much like exercise. Studies have also linked cultural engagement to lower risks of depression, cognitive decline, frailty and premature death. In the UK, arts- and heritage-based social prescribing is already recognised for its benefits in connecting people, encouraging social interaction and building healthier habits.
Senior author Dr Feifei Bu, also of UCL, said: “Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. 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.”