A major new study led by researchers at Monash University suggests that older adults who regularly listen to music may enjoy a significantly lower risk of dementia – and better cognitive health – in later life. 

The research, drawing on data from more than 10,800 Australians aged 70 and older enrolled in the ASPREE study and its follow-up sub-study, ALSOP study, found that daily musical engagement correlates with a marked reduction in dementia incidence. 

The authors – Monash honours student Emma Jaffa and Professor Joanne Ryan – looked at the benefits of listening to music or playing music in people aged over 70, finding that always listening to music compared with never/rarely/sometimes listening to music was associated with a 39 percent decreased risk of dementia.

Playing an instrument was associated with a 35 percent reduction in dementia risk.

Photo © Vitaly Gariev/Unsplash

The study used Cox proportional-hazards regression to explore associations between music-listening and instrument-playing habits and dementia risk over time, adjusting for factors such as age, sex and education level.

Participants who said they “always” listened to music also showed a 17 percent lower risk of cognitive impairment without...