Listening to music can lower dementia risk by nearly 40%, new study says

This is the 78th instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.

I am listening to music as I write this: “Out of My Head” by First Aid Kit.

It is an appropriate track, given the title of this series and the piece of writing I am working on.

Recently, researchers from the school of public health and preventive medicine at Monash University in Australia published a study that found people who had a habit of always listening to music had a 39 per cent lower risk of developing dementia.

They also scored higher in global cognition: how well you perform in all cognitive areas such as memory, attention, language and problem-solving.

The study also found that playing an instrument was associated with a 35 per cent reduced dementia risk. Photo: Shutterstock

Professor Joanne Ryan, head of the university’s biological neuropsychiatry and dementia unit, and one of the lead study authors, explained the research.

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