Listening to Music Regularly Could Lower Dementia Risk by Nearly 40%, Study Finds

If you needed another reason to turn up your favourite playlist, scientists may have found a pretty compelling one.

A major study has found that older adults who regularly listen to music could have a significantly lower risk of developing dementia, suggesting that something as simple as enjoying music may play a role in keeping our brains healthier as we age.

Researchers led by Monash University in Australia studied 10,893 adults aged 70 and over and discovered that those who reported always listening to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared with people who never, rarely or only sometimes listened.

Music Could Help Keep Your Brain Sharp

The research, published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, used data from the long-running ASPREE study and its ALSOP sub-study.

None of the participants included in the research had dementia when they entered the study.

The results showed that people who consistently listened to music didn't just have a lower incidence of dementia. They also had a 17% lower risk of cognitive impairment without dementia and performed better in measures of overall cognition and episodic memory — the type of memory we use to remember events and experiences from our everyday lives.

And listening wasn't the only musical activity associated with encouraging results.

Playing an Instrument Could Help Too

Researchers also looked at people who regularly played musical instruments.

Older adults who often or always played an instrument were associated with a 35% lower risk of dementia compared with those who didn't.

Interestingly, participants who regularly combined listening to music with playing an instrument had a 33% lower risk of dementia and a 22% lower risk of cognitive impairment without dementia.

So whether you're listening to Oasis in the car, putting on your favourite Spotify playlist at home or still playing the guitar you've owned for 30 years, staying connected with music could potentially have benefits beyond entertainment.

Why Might Music Be Good for the Brain?

The study didn't establish exactly why music engagement was associated with better cognitive outcomes, and scientists still have plenty to learn about the relationship.

However, the researchers believe lifestyle and environmental factors could influence how our brains age.

Senior author Professor Joanne Ryan explained that brain ageing isn't determined purely by our age and genetics. Lifestyle choices and our environment can also play a role, making activities such as listening to or playing music particularly interesting areas for further research.

Music is also unusual because listening to a favourite song can involve memory, attention and emotional responses at the same time.

Anyone who has unexpectedly heard a song from their teenage years and instantly remembered a person, place or night out will probably understand just how powerful that connection can feel.

Does Listening to Music Prevent Dementia?

This is where an important distinction needs to be made.

The researchers did not prove that listening to music prevents dementia.

This was an observational study, meaning researchers identified an association between musical activity and dementia risk rather than demonstrating that music itself caused the reduction.

Lead researcher Emma Jaffa said the results suggest musical activities could offer an accessible way of supporting cognitive health in older adults, while stressing that causation cannot yet be established.

Other factors could potentially contribute to the results, and further research will be needed to understand exactly how much of a protective effect music itself might provide.

An Easy Habit Worth Keeping

Despite those limitations, the findings are certainly encouraging.

Dementia remains one of the biggest health challenges facing ageing populations, and researchers around the world are looking for lifestyle factors that could potentially help maintain cognitive health for longer.

Music has one obvious advantage: it's incredibly accessible.

You don't need specialist equipment, expensive treatments or complicated routines. For most people, listening to music is already part of everyday life.

And while nobody should expect their Spotify playlist to be a magic shield against dementia, this research provides another interesting reason to keep music in our lives as we get older.

So perhaps the next time someone tells you to turn the music down, you have a new excuse.

You're doing it for your brain.