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\u201cBrain<\/a>\u201d by\u00a0alaspoorwho<\/a>\u00a0is licensed under\u00a0CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n A new study from the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry <\/em>suggests that listening to music regularly can decrease the risk of dementia. The inquiry was formally published in early October and is based on a decade\u2019s worth of data from more than 10,000 healthy individuals aged 70 or older living in Australia. Findings suggest that those who listen to music most days lower their risk of dementia by 39% as compared to those who don\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n According to Joanne Ryan, the head of the Biological Neuropsychiatry and Dementia research center in the School of Public Health at Monash University and the senior researcher in the new study, \u201cMusic is one of the areas we were most interested in.\u201d During annual data collections by participating doctors and medical staff, participants in the study underwent cognitive function assessment. They determined that among the 10,893 total entrants, the 7,030 who reported listening to music most days had the most significant reduction in dementia risk compared to those who didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThey also had a decreased risk of experiencing more general cognitive decline,\u201d Ryan relays. \u201cAnd we also found that in that time period, they performed better, consistently better, on the tasks of memory and also on a global cognitive function test.\u201d She also asserted that the study is observational; therefore, it cannot guarantee that music causes a decrease in cognitive decline. \u201cIf we do consider our findings in light of other research that has been done,\u201d Ryan said, \u201cwe think there could be a real direct link.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI have started myself listening to music more than I was,\u201d Ryan adds. \u201cI would encourage people to be listening to music, because if it\u2019s something they take pleasure from and it\u2019s also stimulating their brain, why not?\u201d<\/p>\n Additional research from Princeton University\u2019s Music Cognition Lab examines what happens in the brain when experiencing music and suggests that the sound activates certain parts of the brain, including motor and sensory areas, which affect emotions, imagination, and daydreaming, and that this is a powerful tool for promoting brain health.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cOne of the things that seems to be really important is just getting all those areas to talk to each other in meaningful ways,\u201d suggests Elizabeth Margulis, pianist and the director of the lab involved with the new study. \u201cThat\u2019s something music is exceptionally good at doing.\u201d<\/p>\n Furthermore, the author of I Heard There Was a Secret Chord: Music as Medicine, <\/em>neuroscientist and musician, Daniel Levitin, suggests that the practice of \u201cListening to music is neuroprotective.\u201d She also shared that while listening to older music can prompt memories and retrace past comforts, the benefits of new music can assist in brain health.\u00a0<\/p>\n