Would you like to your brain to keep working at top capacity, especially as you get older? Two new studies both suggest that playing a musical instrument can help. And—good news—you can start at any age.
In the first study, a research team from the University of Toronto and the Chinese Academy of Sciences used MRIs to scan the brains of 50 older adults and 24 younger adults. Half the older adults had played an instrument for decades; the other half had no musical experience.
During the scans, they challenged participants’ brains by asking them to hear what a single voice was saying with 50 other voices speaking in the background. All subjects were able to perform the task. But the MRI revealed that the older non-musicians had to work their brains extra hard to hear that specific voice. The 20-somethings were able to do it with less brain effort. But so were the older subjects who were musicians. “Our studies show that this musical experience builds cognitive reserve,” Du Yi, one of the study’s authors from the Chinese Academy of Sciences told BBC Science Focus.
Meantime, scientists at Kyoto University in Japan followed up on some earlier research about music and older adults. Four years ago, they recruited 53 people with an average age of 73, and had them learn to play an instrument. In that experiment, subjects’ brain function changed very little after four months of musical study.
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More recently, the researchers decided to do a follow-up study of those same subjects. Thirteen had kept on playing music, and the rest had not. When researchers gave them all the same memory test, the results were astonishing. The non-music-playing subjects performed less well on that memory test than those who had kept on with their new hobby. Not only that, the MRI showed that the putamen, the part of the brain responsible for motor function, learning, and memory, had shrunk in the non-music players. But it had not shrunk in those who continued playing their instruments. It’s astounding to think that regularly playing a musical instrument can keep your brain from shrinking, but that’s what this second experiment seems to be telling us.
Playing music is well worth the time you invest.
How can you use this knowledge to promote your own brain health? First of all, if you currently play an instrument, good for you! No matter how busy you are, it’s well worth keeping up with that habit. If you used to play but stopped, this research might give you the impetus to start again, either by reacquainting yourself with your former instrument or by starting fresh with a new one.
What if you’ve never played an instrument or considered playing one? As the Japanese researchers point out, it truly never is too late to start. Pick up an instrument, or try out a few until you find one that suits you. And remember, there’s nothing in the research that suggests that you need to be good at playing your instrument. The point is that you’re playing it. Extra points if you play with other people–you’ll get the brain benefits of social interaction as well.
There’s a growing community of Inc. readers who get a daily text from me with a micro-challenge or thought-provoking question. (Want to learn more? Here’s some information about the texts and a special invitation to a two-month free trial.) Many are entrepreneurs or company leaders and they understand the importance of doing everything you can to boost and preserve your brain function throughout your life. Playing music is a fun way to do just that.
