LONDON — Researchers at University College London found that regular participation in arts and cultural activities is associated with a slower pace of biological ageing, according to a study published in the journal Innovation in Aging. The findings were based on blood test and survey response data from 3,556 adults taking part in the UK Household Longitudinal Study.

Participants were asked how often over the last year they had taken part in singing, dancing, painting, photography or crafting, or had attended an art exhibition or event, visited a heritage site or been to a museum, library or archive. They also answered questions on exercise habits and more than 40 different arts activities.

The authors used seven epigenetic clocks, including a Horvath clock, to interpret aging, morbidity and mortality risk. Under one of the study's assessment methods, weekly participation in artistic pursuits slowed participants' biological ageing process by 4%, while monthly engagement slowed it by 3%.

Those who undertook an arts activity at least once a week were on average a year biologically younger than people who rarely engaged in such pursuits. By comparison, people who exercised once a week were on average six months younger biologically than those who rarely exercised. Researchers said the effect of arts engagement on the pace of biological ageing was comparable to the difference between current smokers and former smokers. Middle-aged and older adults aged 40 or above received the biggest boost to the pace at which they aged as a result of arts engagement.

"We found in this study that 'arts engagement' was related to 4% slower aging rates, meaning people were about a year younger, biologically, if they were regularly engaged in the arts," said Daisy Fancourt, head of the social biobehavioural research group at University College London and the lead author of the research. "These results demonstrate the health impact of the arts at a biological level. They provide evidence for arts and cultural engagement to be recognised as a health-promoting behaviour in a similar way to exercise," she said.

"Our study provides the first evidence that arts and cultural engagement is linked to a slower pace of biological ageing. This builds on a growing body of evidence about the health impact of the arts, with arts activities being shown to reduce stress, lower inflammation and improve cardiovascular disease risk, just as exercise is known to do," said Feifei Bu, a UCL academic.

Steven Horvath, a geneticist and biostatistician at UCLA, commented on the methodology. "Given that people don't age at the same rate, an epigenetic clock can gauge your rate of aging, or your 'biological' age," Horvath said. "I think this is a very rigorous study, and what is particularly new to me is that arts engagement may have comparable effects to physical activity," he added.