IJGP: Regularly listening to music reduces risk of dementia by about 40%

Older adults who frequently listen to music or play musical instruments are less likely to develop dementia, Australian researchers have found. Their respective study was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry (IJGP).

Researchers analyzed data from nearly 11,000 participants in the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, focusing on people over 70 years old who showed no signs of cognitive impairment at the start of the study. Participants were observed for an average of 4.7 years, assessing their lifestyle and memory function.

Approximately three years into the study, participants were asked about the frequency of their musical activity—how often they listened to music or played instruments. It was found that those who always listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia and a 17% lower risk of moderate cognitive decline compared with those who did so rarely or never. Participants who regularly played musical instruments showed a 35% lower risk of dementia, although no significant link was found with milder impairments. Those who combined both types of musical activity also had noticeably lower risk for both dementia and cognitive decline.

Interestingly, the protective effect was stronger among participants with higher education levels. Among people with 16 or more years of education, regularly listening to music reduced the risk of dementia by 63%, whereas no such effect was observed among participants with 12–15 years of education.

The researchers plan to continue their work to determine which forms of musical activity have the greatest impact and whether music could be used as part of preventive programs against dementia.

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