Researchers found people who regularly engaged in arts and cultural activities showed signs of slower biological aging.
WASHINGTON — Turns out your next anti-aging habit might not be at the gym. It actually might be at a concert, in a pottery class or singing along to your favorite playlist.
A new study from researchers at University College London found that people who regularly engage in arts and cultural activities may age more slowly at a biological level, with effects comparable to physical activity.
The study, published in the journal Gerontology Innovation in Aging, analyzed data from 3,556 adults in the U.K. Household Longitudinal Study between 2010 and 2012. Researchers examined participants’ arts engagement and physical activity habits alongside blood samples that were used to measure “epigenetic aging.”
Epigenetic clocks estimate a person’s biological age by analyzing chemical changes to DNA over time, rather than simply counting the years since birth.
Researchers found that both arts and cultural engagement, including activities like attending concerts, museums or theater performances, as well as creating art, dancing or singing, were linked to slower aging in several of the epigenetic clocks studied.
The effects were similar in size to those associated with physical activity, according to the study.
The research looked at several measures of engagement, including how often participants took part in activities and the variety of activities they engaged in. The association was strongest in adults age 40 and older.
Researchers said the findings suggest arts engagement could play a role in healthy aging strategies alongside more traditional health recommendations like exercise. The study did not determine why arts engagement may influence biological aging, but researchers noted that previous studies have linked creative activities to lower stress and improved mental health.
The study also found differences across the seven aging clocks examined. Arts engagement and physical activity were associated with slower aging in the PhenoAge, DunedinPoAm and DunedinPACE clocks, but not in others including the Horvath and Hannum clocks.
Researchers cautioned that the study only captured participants’ activities over a 12-month period and does not prove that arts engagement directly causes slower aging. Still, the findings point to what researchers described as a potential “pro-longevity” lifestyle factor that has received little scientific attention until now.