A recent study shows that engaging in cultural activities may be linked to slowing down biological aging.
Researchers have found that people who regularly participate in activities such as visiting museums or attending art exhibitions have a lower physiological age compared to others.
The rate of aging varies among individuals; chronological age does not always reflect the body's actual health status. Physiological, or biological, age is used to measure the efficiency of bodily functions and the extent to which they are affected by the effects of aging.
Previous studies have indicated that participation in cultural activities is associated with improved general health and higher well-being, especially among the elderly, but the relationship between these activities and biological aging indicators has not been adequately studied.
In this context, researchers from the Tokyo Institute of Science in Japan conducted a longitudinal study that examined the relationship between cultural participation and physiological age, while attempting to exclude the influence of some other factors that might affect the results.
The researchers analyzed data from 1,899 adults who participated in the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing, a study that follows a representative sample of people aged 50 and over living in England.
Data from participants were collected on two or more occasions between 2004 and 2009, and included measurements of ten health indicators, including blood pressure, lung function, hemoglobin and cholesterol levels, body mass index, grip strength, and walking speed. Researchers used these indicators to calculate the composite physiological age of each participant.
The researchers also asked participants about their frequency of participation in various cultural activities, such as visiting cinemas, museums, art galleries, theaters, concerts, or opera houses. Cultural participation was then calculated based on the frequency of these activities.
The results showed that people who scored higher on cultural engagement had an average biological age of 66.9 years, compared to 69.9 years for people with low cultural engagement, a difference of nearly three years.
It also turned out that the participants most involved in cultural activities were often women, of higher socioeconomic status, salaried employees, and in better health.
The analysis found that every one-point increase in the cultural engagement score was associated with a decrease in biological age of approximately 0.085 years, or about 31 days, after taking into account factors such as household income, employment, and chronic illnesses.
Researchers believe that cultural engagement may help slow biological aging by fostering social relationships, improving mental health, and encouraging healthier lifestyles.
However, the observational study does not prove a direct causal link between cultural participation and slower aging. The researchers also suggested that healthier individuals may simply be more likely to participate in cultural activities.
However, researchers emphasize that cultural engagement is a modifiable factor and may represent a potential way to promote health with age, noting that its effect may be close to that of regular physical activity.
The researchers called for further studies to determine whether increased access to cultural events, both geographically and financially, could lead to long-term improvements in health and healthy aging.
