This 1 Activity Could Actually Slow Down Aging. You Might Already Be Doing It Without Realizing

A study of more than 3,500 adults in the UK Household Longitudinal Study examined arts and cultural engagement from 2010 to 2012. Arts and cultural engagement showed a comparable association with slowing certain biological aging measures to that of physical activity. Biological age reflects how quickly cells, tissues, and organs age, rather than how long a person has lived. Engagement was assessed through survey reports of participatory arts, receptive arts, heritage site visits, and other cultural activities, including museums, libraries, and archives. Frequency and diversity of activities were both evaluated, with diversity noted as important as frequency. Blood samples were used to analyze biological age, and sports-related activities were also recorded.

"Researchers found that arts and cultural engagement had a comparable association with slowing certain biological aging clocks to that of physical activity. Unlike chronological age, which simply refers to how long you've been alive, biological age refers to how fast your cells, tissues, and organs are aging, according to the Cleveland Clinic."

"The researchers measured the volunteers' engagement in arts and culture by using a survey to determine if they had participated in any of the four following activities in 12 months: participatory arts (singing, dancing, painting, crafting, photographing), receptive arts (attending art exhibitions), visiting heritage sites (historic parks, historic buildings, monuments) or engaging in other cultural activities (museums, libraries or archives)."

"Engagement in arts and culture was also evaluated by the frequency and diversity of activities. The study noted that the diversity of activities was just as important as the frequency of engagement. Participants were also asked to record their engagement in sports-related activities, such as swimming, running, cycling, fishing or yoga and pilates."

""These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level," Daisy Fancourt, a lead author of the study and professor of psychobiology & epidemiology at University College London told the Guardian. "They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognized as a health-promoting behavior in a similar way to exercise.""

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