The Enjoyable Daily Habit That Could Lower Dementia Risk By 39%, According To Research
EXTREME-PHOTOGRAPHER | Canva I pop in my earbuds as soon as I enter the gym. Noise cancellation stifles the sounds of weights clanging, people talking, and whatever awful music du jour is blasting through the speakers.
My playlist is so important to me that I bring a spare pair of earbuds in case the battery runs out on the first. That cheaper second pair has saved me many times.
According to research, listening to music can lower dementia risk by nearly forty percent.
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Research by Monash University connected daily music listening to a 39% decreased risk of dementia
I was stoked. It’s one more arrow in my quiver of tools to keep my brain healthy. The study not only showed a lower risk of dementia, but people who listened to music had overall higher scores on cognition and were better at remembering everyday events.
The same study suggested that regular playing of a musical instrument was linked to a 35% lower dementia risk, and both listening plus playing were associated with a 33% reduced dementia risk.
Even background music was shown to have a positive effect. The leading theory behind the brain benefits of music is that it engages multiple brain regions simultaneously. Engaging these networks supports memory, emotion, and attention.
Little did I know that my short musical career playing the French horn in grade school might have been the foundation behind my current brainpower.
As exciting as this is for those of us who listen to music daily, a caveat behind the study should be noted
This was observational, not experimental, meaning it cannot prove that listening to music lowers dementia risk. However, the strength and consistency of the association across many participants — nearly 11,000 adults 70 and over — is compelling.
Hopefully, future research will solidify this connection. In the meantime, here’s what we know about music for sure.
“Music and the arts have a very protective effect when it comes to brain health overall,” says David A. Merrill, MD, PhD, geriatric psychiatrist with double-board certification by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. “A lot of practice and patterns are deeply ingrained, so people can continue to do the things that they’ve done for a long time.”
Dr. Merrill tells of dementia patients who otherwise rarely spoke, who would suddenly break into song when old classics were played. He’s now working on ways to incorporate meaningful music into exercise routines for patients with dementia as his next area of research.
It’s believed music may work in one or more ways. One theory posits that it works by stimulating structural changes in the brain, including the formation of new synapses and nerve fiber connections. A second involves dopamine. Music making appears to trigger dopamine release, which is important because age-related dopamine losses are closely tied to cognitive decline, and dopamine is notably depleted in people with Alzheimer’s.
In addition, researchers who took MRI scans of professional musicians, amateur musicians, and non-musicians found that musicians had younger-looking brains relative to their chronological age. Amateur musicians’ brains appeared 4.5 years younger, and professional musicians’ brains 3.7 years younger. Researchers believe the chronic stress of performing was responsible for less of an age-decelerating effect in the professional musicians than in the amateurs.
I’m a heavy metal fan. Not the senseless screaming, speed metal type, but my fave workout playlist includes Godsmack, Shinedown, Adelitas Way, and Blacktop Mojo. All of these get me pumped up for my workout. I’m also into 80s rock, because, let’s face it, it was the best time for music ever. We were living on a prayer and pouring sugar on each other.
While writing and working, I also listen to binaural beats on either Brain.fm or Brainwaves. It helps to keep me focused.
The study did not collect information on a specific music type in relation to dementia prevention
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So the genre, beats, lyrics, or mood of the participants were not included. We don’t know if classical, jazz, pop, rock, or productivity-focused tracks impact cognitive health differently.
We do know that music that evokes personal meaning for us from our past strongly activates memory and emotional centers of the brain, which could help boost cognitive resilience. Listening to 80's music from my past immediately takes me emotionally back to my 20s, for instance.
If you’re a boomer, maybe it works that way for you, too. Because no evidence yet identifies a specific type of music as superior, but personally meaningful music strongly activates memory circuits, it’s reasonable to assume the music you enjoy most may offer the greatest benefit.
If I were forced to listen to opera during my workouts, my motivation would go downhill rapidly — likely along with any cognitive benefit.
The duration of the music-listening was not studied, but the biggest benefits were seen among people who listened to music “most days” or “every day” versus those who listened to music only occasionally.
In a real-world setting, listening to music also easily works together with other activities, which can also protect cognitive health. For example, listening to music while working out, walking, cooking, or socializing doubles down on the benefits from each activity.
Based on this research, these evidence-based tips can help you make the most of your music-listening sessions.
- Make music a daily habit. You can easily incorporate music listening into other activities, such as walking and other exercises, and even having it on in the background reaps benefits.
- Choose meaningful tunes. Emotional engagement in your music likely matters. So choose tunes you love or find meaningful.
- Combine music with other brain-healthy habits. As mentioned, physical activity, socializing, or working while you listen to music creates the strongest overall benefit.
Music already helps those with dementia
While a strong link between music and lower dementia risk requires more research to establish a definitive cause and effect, music is already helping people with dementia. In a study involving over 3,500 nursing home residents, personalized music programs led to improved mood, social engagement, and cognitive awareness. It also helped reduce agitation and reliance on psychotropic medications.
In another study, a music program resulted in a 13% drop in antipsychotic drug use and a 17% drop in anti-anxiety medications among dementia patients.
Music that speaks to you brings joy and comfort — and could even help your brain stay healthy as a bonus. So create a playlist that resonates with you, play it in your car or while working out, and let the songs lift your mood and your mind.
Linda Melone is a writer specializing in health, fitness, and aging after 50. A former personal trainer, her work has appeared in TIME, AARP, Shape, Self, MSN Health, The Huffington Post, and other national publications.
