Playing a Musical Instrument Keeps Your Brain in Tune as You Age

Your brain might age better if you play a musical instrument or sing in a choir, research has found.

Engaging in and creating music in some way has been linked to better brain health in later years of life, a new study in the journal International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry reveals. Piano playing in particular was strongly associated with improved memory and better executive function—the ability to solve complex tasks—in older age.

The researchers made these findings after analyzing data collected from an online study open to people aged 40 and over called PROTECT, which contains information about over 25,000 participants.

"Our study has confirmed that people who engage with music, particularly by learning to play an instrument, have better brain function in later life," study author Anne Corbett, a professor of dementia research at the U.K.'s University of Exeter, told Newsweek.

She went on: "Playing instruments is linked with better memory and ability to perform complex tasks, especially playing keyboard instruments. People who continued to play instruments into later life showed the best outcomes, indicating the importance of engaging with music throughout life."

The analysis revealed that people with greater musical experience and exposure to music across their lives had better cognitive abilities later in life. Additionally, playing later in life strengthened these benefits further.

"Playing keyboard instruments showed the strongest effect on both memory and executive function. Brass and woodwind instrument playing also benefited memory, whilst singing was linked with better complex task completion," Corbett said.

This association was seen for both playing instruments and singing in choirs. The authors of the paper note that the benefit of choir singing may also stem from the social factors of being part of a group.

"Playing and reading music are complex tasks which challenge the brain," Corbett said. "It is likely that by engaging with music in this way people are increasing their brain's resilience by forming more complex connections, in a similar way to learning a second language or performing brain-training tasks. Engaging with music will activate key pathways in the brain that promote memory, problem-solving and complex thinking, and this then improves their overall brain function."

This research may serve to help develop new ways to treat dementia and indicates that music can help slow cognitive decline.

"This research was completed with healthy older adults, so [it] cannot be directly applied to people with dementia," Corbett said. "However, we know that people with dementia often respond very well to taking part in music and singing, and this forms a valuable part of their care and treatment."

The research, she said, also strengthens the argument for incorporating music into a person's care strategy, particularly those who have a history of engaging with music through instruments or singing.

"We continue to explore the factors that influence healthy aging of the brain and the risk of dementia," she said. "We would like to build on this research by exploring the relationship between music and brain health in more detail. We also hope to encourage policymakers and health care providers to consider the use of music in guidance and planning for public health and healthy aging initiatives."

Many older people would agree with these findings, as suggested by Stuart Douglas, a 78-year-old from Cornwall in the U.K. who has played the accordion his whole life.

"I learnt to play the accordion as a boy living in a mining village in Fife and carried on throughout my career in the police force and beyond," Douglas said in the statement.

"These days I still play regularly, and playing in the band also keeps my calendar full, as we often perform in public. We regularly play at memory cafés so have seen the effect that our music has on people with memory loss, and as older musicians ourselves we have no doubt that continuing with music into older age has played an important role in keeping our brains healthy," he said.

Update 1/29/24, 11:40 a.m. ET: This story was updated with comments from Anne Corbett of the University of Exeter.

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