Emma Jaffa, researcher, on listening to music: “It improves processing speed, language, memory and coordination”

Music doesn’t just have the ability to create powerful emotions in us but according to new research it could also help us reduce our risk of dementia. A study by a team from Monash University in Australia found that those who listen to music into old age were 39 percent less likely to develop dementia compared to those who rarely did so.

They followed more than 10,800 adults over the age of 70, who were living in retirement communities and didn’t have dementia at the time of recruitment, during several years. Those who identified as frequent music listeners were also 17% less likely to develop milder forms of cognitive impairments.

Furthermore, they scored higher overall on cognitive tests and displayed better episodic memory, which is used to recall specific, everyday events. Frequent music listening was shown to reduce the risk of dementia more than playing an instrument or singing.

“Listening to music activates a whole range of regions across your brain”

This isn’t the first study to show the power of music as providing health benefits. Alex Street, a researcher at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research shared with the BBC recently that singing is being used to treat people with varying health conditions.

“Previous studies show it improves processing speed, language, memory and coordination. Plus, it often involves socializing with others, which helps protect brain health,” said Emma Jaffa, a biomedical science Monash honors student and lead author of the study, speaking to HuffPost.

“Listening to music activates a whole range of regions across your brain and so that’s really giving you that cognitive stimulation, which is beneficial to help reduce your risk of dementia,” explained Joanne Ryan, a professor of biological neuropsychiatry at Monash and co-author on the study, in a radio interview with ABC News in Australia.

Ryan shared with The Washington Post that she herself has begun listening to music more than before. “I would encourage people to be listening to music, because if it’s something they take pleasure from and it’s also stimulating their brain, why not?” she said.

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