Study finds engaging with the arts can slow biological aging - NPR

A study from University College London found that participating in arts, like painting or going to the theater, can help slow biological aging. andreswd/E+/Getty Images hide caption If you want to stack the odds in favor of living a long life, you've likely already heard the advice to eat well and exercise, over and over again.  So, here's a new idea: Ignite your creative expression and participate more in the arts. A new study finds this may help boost longevity by slowing down your rate of aging. If you're a painter or pianist, maybe you've noticed how making art or music can lower your stress level. Creative expression can have a profound effect on our biology. Researchers at University College London had a hunch the benefits went beyond this.  Shots - Health News Scientists can tell how fast you're aging. Now, the trick is to slow it down They analyzed survey data and blood samples from about 3,500 adults who were part of a long-term study in the United Kingdom,  including some who were very involved in the arts, as well as others who had very little engagement with the arts. Then, they used epigenetic clocks to assess participants' rate of aging. "We found in this study that 'arts engagement' was related to 4% slower aging rates, meaning people were about a year younger, biologically, if they were regularly engaged in the arts," researcher Daisy Fancourt explains. "This is actually the same reduction in biological aging that we saw for physical activity," she says. The participants had answered a range of questions, on everything from their exercise habits to questions about more than 40 different arts activities.  Want the latest stories on the science of healthy living?