{"id":427337,"date":"2026-05-14T13:38:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:38:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/427337\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T13:38:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T13:38:09","slug":"engaging-with-arts-and-culture-can-slow-biological-aging-as-much-as-exercise-study-suggests","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/427337\/","title":{"rendered":"Engaging with arts and culture can slow biological aging as much as exercise, study suggests"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n When it comes to slowing down our biological aging,<\/a> engaging with arts and culture is as beneficial as physical activity, a new study suggests.\n <\/p>\n

\n Researchers from University College London (UCL) analyzed data from seven different aging clocks \u2014 which measure the accumulation of different biomarkers to determine a person\u2019s biological age \u2014 of more than 3,500 people from the United Kingdom, according to a study published Monday in the journal Innovation in Ageing<\/a>.\n <\/p>\n

\"Engaging<\/p>\n

\n Study co-author Feifei Bu, a research fellow in UCL\u2019s department of behavioral science, told CNN the study found that both the frequency with which people engage with the arts, as well as the number of different ways in which they do so, can slow the aging process.\n <\/p>\n

\n The results didn\u2019t come as a big surprise to the researchers, as previous studies have demonstrated links between cultural engagement and better health outcomes in areas such as cognition, depression and mortality, she explained, but this is the first one to examine biological aging.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cTheoretically, one way the arts could affect health is through biological processes,\u201d Bu said in a statement Tuesday. \u201cOur study provides evidence supporting this.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n She explained that the arts cover a wide range of activities, with different \u201cactive ingredients,\u201d such as aesthetics; sensory or physical stimulation; and social interaction.\n <\/p>\n

\n According to the study, there were \u201ccomparable effect sizes\u201d between physical activity and engagement with the arts. The \u201cfindings were generally stronger amongst middle-aged and older adults aged 40 or above,\u201d and the data was controlled for income and a number of other factors.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cOur research shows that both frequency and diversity matter,\u201d Bu said. \u201cThe \u2018best\u2019 way would depend on the individual \u2014 their interests, what\u2019s available to them, and what they enjoy doing consistently.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n She emphasized that the study builds on existing research, \u201cunderscoring the potential value of integrating the arts into public health strategies and initiatives.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Next, the team is planning to analyze similar data across different countries and populations, as well as looking at how other biological outcomes could be affected by cultural engagement, Bu added.\n <\/p>\n

\n James Stark, a professor of medical humanities at the University of Leeds, England, who was not involved in the study, told CNN that the research is \u201cdetailed and robust.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt draws on cutting-edge tools for measuring biological ageing and uses a large swathe of real-world data,\u201d he told CNN on Tuesday.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAs well as confirming the positive effects of cultural participation on our health, it validates the importance of investment in the arts and culture, and shows that these are not just incidental additions to our lives, but make a real difference to our health,\u201d Stark added.\n <\/p>\n

\n Another scientist who wasn\u2019t involved in the study, Eamonn Mallon, professor of evolutionary biology at the University of Leicester, England, said the \u201ccarefully conducted\u201d research is \u201cthe first to ask whether cultural activities might be linked to slower biological ageing at the molecular level.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe headline finding is that they are, and by roughly the same amount as physical activity,\u201d he told CNN on Tuesday, before highlighting a caveat.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis is a single snapshot in time, so we can\u2019t yet say that visiting a museum causes you to age more slowly. It\u2019s possible that people who are biologically younger for their chronological age are simply more likely to get out and do things,\u201d Mallon said.\n <\/p>\n

\n Get inspired by a weekly roundup on living well, made simple. Sign up for CNN\u2019s Life, But Better newsletter<\/a> for information and tools designed to improve your well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"When it comes to slowing down our biological aging, engaging with arts and culture is as beneficial as…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":427338,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[37],"tags":[565,134,111,139,69],"class_list":["post-427337","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-fitness","tag-fitness","tag-health","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nz"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427337","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=427337"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/427337\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/427338"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=427337"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=427337"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=427337"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}