There was a time when spending an evening at a concert, watching a play or wandering through a museum sounded exciting. Now, after a hectic week, staying in bed with your comforter often wins over stepping outside.

But what if those occasional cultural outings were doing more for your health than you realised?

A new study, published in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, suggests that regularly visiting museums, going to the cinema or attending concerts and theatre performances may be linked to slower biological ageing. Researchers found that older adults who took part in these activities every few months or more appeared to have a younger physiological age than those who never did. 

While the study does not prove that these activities slow ageing, it adds to growing evidence that making time for arts and culture may have benefits that extend beyond entertainment. 

How cultural activities may influence the ageing process

The researchers explain that cultural engagement includes activities such as attending live music events, theatre performances, museums, galleries, exhibitions and the cinema. Previous research has consistently linked these activities with better mental wellbeing, lower risk of chronic disease, reduced frailty, slower cognitive decline and even lower mortality among older adults. What remained unclear, however, was whether cultural engagement also influences the body’s biological ageing process.

To answer this question, the team analysed participants from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a large long-term study involving adults aged 50 years and older living in England. For the present analysis, researchers included 4,467 participants, examining whether cultural engagement was associated with physiological age both at the time of assessment and during follow-up four and eight years later.

Rather than relying only on chronological age, the researchers estimated each participant’s physiological age, a measure intended to reflect how old the body functions biologically. This index combined several clinical and laboratory markers representing different organ systems, including blood pressure, respiratory function, grip strength, inflammatory markers, haemoglobin levels and other blood-based biomarkers. Physiological age was then compared with chronological age to determine whether an individual appeared biologically older or younger than expected.

According to the study, regular cultural engagement was consistently associated with slower physiological ageing.

“Cultural engagement… was related to lower physiological age cross-sectionally and four and eight years later.”

The researchers found that adults who attended at least one cultural activity every few months or more had a physiological age that was approximately 2.2 years younger than those who never participated. Four years later, their physiological age remained around 1.4 years younger, while after eight years it was approximately 1.7 years younger compared with people who never engaged in cultural activities.

Interestingly, the association was observed across all three categories of activities examined in the study.

Among them, attending live performances, including theatre, concerts and opera, showed the strongest relationship with slower physiological ageing. Participants who regularly attended these events had a physiological age around 2.7 years younger than those who never went. Regular cinema visits were associated with a physiological age around 2.4 years younger, while visiting museums, galleries and exhibitions was linked to a physiological age around 1.7 years younger.

The researchers also observed what appeared to be a dose-response relationship. As the frequency of cultural engagement increased, the association with slower physiological ageing generally became stronger. However, attending cultural activities more than twice a month did not appear to provide substantially greater benefits, suggesting that moderate but regular participation may already be sufficient.

The association also appeared somewhat stronger among adults aged 50 to 65 years than among participants older than 65 years.

The authors believe several biological and behavioural mechanisms may explain these findings. Cultural activities often involve social interaction, cognitive stimulation and light physical activity, such as walking to venues. They also expose individuals to creativity, imagination, aesthetic experiences and multisensory stimulation, all of which may activate psychological, biological and behavioural pathways associated with healthier ageing.

As the researchers explain, “The arts encompass a diverse range of human practices… Cultural engagement acts as a vehicle to well-known salutogenic behaviours such as social interaction, physical activity and cognitive stimulation. But they also bring people into contact with creativity, imagination, multisensory stimulation and aesthetics.”

The authors note that these various elements may work together to influence physiological systems associated with ageing.

What the researchers concluded

Overall, the study concludes that regular cultural engagement was associated with lower physiological age at baseline and remained linked with slower ageing several years later.

The findings also remained consistent after researchers performed multiple sensitivity analyses, including adjusting for different confounding factors, excluding statistical outliers and testing alternative analytical approaches. Even after accounting for baseline physiological age, cultural engagement continued to be associated with a slower pace of ageing during subsequent follow-up.

The researchers say this strengthens confidence in the observed relationship, although it still does not establish a direct causal effect.

“Overall, these findings provide insight into how cultural engagement may be related to processes of ageing.”

The authors also suggest that the results may have practical implications for healthy ageing programmes. Since stronger benefits were not observed among people attending cultural activities very frequently, they note that even participating every few months could potentially be meaningful.

They also highlight that cultural engagement is unlikely to work through a single pathway. Instead, it may simultaneously improve emotional wellbeing, encourage social participation, stimulate the brain, reduce stress and promote healthier behaviours, all of which have previously been linked with better ageing outcomes.

At the same time, the researchers caution that the relationship is likely to be bidirectional.

People with better physical and mental health may naturally find it easier to attend museums, theatres or concerts, while cultural engagement itself may also contribute to healthier ageing. 

Limitations of the study

The researchers acknowledge several important limitations that should be considered while interpreting the findings.

One limitation is that the study examined only cultural engagement, such as attending museums, concerts or cinemas, and did not evaluate active participation in artistic activities like painting, dancing or playing music. The questionnaire also asked participants about individual activities without considering the broader social or environmental contexts in which these experiences occurred.

The study also relied on participants recalling how often they had engaged in cultural activities during the previous year, making the findings susceptible to recall bias, particularly among older adults.

The researchers further note that although they used an advanced statistical method to account for confounding factors, the analysis required participants to be divided into those who regularly engaged in cultural activities and those who never did. This simplified categorisation limited a more detailed assessment of how different levels of participation might influence ageing.

“Residual confounding remains possible… future work using methods such as instrumental variable approaches is recommended to triangulate these findings and confirm results,” the authors write. 

They also explain that observational studies cannot completely eliminate selection bias or attrition bias. Individuals with poorer health may have been less likely both to attend cultural events and to remain in the study over time, which could influence the observed associations.

Another limitation relates to the physiological ageing index itself. Although the principal component analysis approach used to calculate biological age is widely accepted and has been employed in several previous studies, it represents only one method of estimating ageing and has recognised methodological limitations.

The authors therefore recommend that future research should investigate whether different forms of cultural engagement affect individual organ systems differently, whether benefits vary across different populations and whether maintaining cultural engagement consistently over many years has a greater impact on healthy ageing.

They conclude that additional experimental studies will be important to determine whether the observed associations truly represent a causal relationship and to better understand the biological mechanisms involved.

What experts say

According to Dr Sharadhi C, Consultant – Psychiatry, Aster CMI Hospital, Bengaluru, the findings are scientifically plausible because healthy ageing is influenced by several lifestyle factors beyond diet and exercise. She explained that cultural activities engage multiple areas of the brain involved in memory, attention, creativity and emotional processing, while also encouraging social interaction and light physical activity.

“Attending concerts, museums or theatre performances often involves walking, meeting people and engaging with new experiences. Together, these activities promote cognitive stimulation, emotional wellbeing and social participation, all of which may positively influence healthy ageing over time,” she said.

Dr Sharadhi noted that the observed benefits are unlikely to arise from cultural activities alone. Rather, they probably reflect a combination of healthy behaviours commonly seen among people who regularly participate in such events.

“People who attend cultural events are often socially active, physically mobile and mentally engaged. These outings can reduce loneliness, improve mood and create a sense of purpose. However, these individuals may also have healthier lifestyles, better access to healthcare or higher levels of education, all of which can contribute to healthier ageing,” she explained.

She also cautioned against interpreting the findings as proof that museum visits or concerts directly slow biological ageing.

“This is an observational study, which means it identifies an association rather than proving cause and effect. It is possible that healthier people are simply more likely to attend cultural events. Other factors such as income, exercise habits, existing medical conditions and access to healthcare may also influence the findings. More controlled clinical studies are needed before we can conclude that cultural engagement directly affects biological ageing,” she said.

Dr Sharadhi added that cultural engagement should be viewed as a complement to, rather than a replacement for, established healthy lifestyle habits.

“The strongest evidence for healthy ageing still supports regular physical activity, a balanced diet, adequate sleep, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol and managing chronic health conditions. Cultural activities can enrich these habits by keeping the brain active, reducing social isolation and improving overall wellbeing. A holistic lifestyle that supports physical, mental and social health offers the greatest potential for healthy ageing,” she said.

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