Listening to music when you are over 70 years of age has been linked to a 39 per cent reduction in the risk of dementia, according to a Monash University-led study of over 10,800 older people.
The study, led by 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 per cent decreased risk of dementia. While playing an instrument was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in dementia risk.
This study used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub‐study and was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
You can read more about this study here