Older adults who regularly listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia, a Monash University-led study found.
Playing a musical instrument was associated with a 35% reduction in dementia risk.
Researchers caution that the study found an association, not proof that music itself prevents dementia.
Older adults looking for ways to keep their brains healthy may want to turn up the music.
A large study led by researchers at Monash University in Australia found that people age 70 and older who regularly listened to music had a substantially lower risk of developing dementia than those who listened less often. The research was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The researchers analyzed data from 10,893 community-dwelling Australians aged 70 and older who did not have dementia when they entered the study. The data came from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly, or ASPREE, study and its ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons sub-study.
The results suggest something as simple and inexpensive as listening to music could be associated with healthier aging.
Listening appeared to offer the biggest benefit
Participants who reported "always" listening to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared with people who never, rarely, or only sometimes listened.
Frequent music listeners also had a 17% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment without dementia and performed better over time on measures of overall cognition and episodic memory — the type of memory used to recall events and experiences.
Making music also appeared to help. Older adults who often or always played a musical instrument had a 35% lower risk of dementia.
People who both listened to music and played an instrument had a 33% lower risk of dementia and a 22% lower risk of cognitive impairment compared with those with lower levels of musical engagement.
The associations were generally stronger among participants with more than 16 years of education, researchers reported.
Why music could help
Researchers said the findings add to evidence that brain aging isn't determined solely by genetics and chronological age. Lifestyle and environmental factors may also influence cognitive health.
"Evidence suggests that brain aging is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one's own environmental and lifestyle choices," senior author Professor Joanne Ryan said in announcing the findings.
Music engages a number of brain systems involved in memory, attention, emotion, and auditory processing. Playing an instrument can add additional demands involving coordination, concentration, and learning.