A recent scientific report has shown that: A trip to the theater, museum or gallery will help you live longer. And the more often you go, the more effective it will be.
That report comes from University College London (UCL). It turns out that people who are exposed to art regularly, every few months or more, have a 31% chance of living longer than those who are not exposed. Even going to the theater or museum only once or twice a year has a more than 14% chance of prolonging life.
To find this answer, researchers looked at data on more than 6,000 adults in the UK aged 50 or over. This data comes from a larger, related study of aging.
“Behaviors such as smoking, drinking, and exercise are obvious factors that influence mortality. But leisure and enjoyable activities, which people never thought would affect mortality. body, contributing to health and endurance,” said Daisy Fancourt, a professor in the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences at UCL. She is also the author of the report we are talking about.
Museum.
How often an individual is exposed to the arts – which includes activities such as visiting galleries, attending concerts and listening to opera but not going to the cinema – was calculated since the study began in 2004 and ended in 2005. The study subjects continued to be followed for the next 12 years. During this time period, through data taken from the UK’s National Health Service (NHS), any deaths that occur will be recorded.
The report examines a range of economic, health and social factors to try to explain the link between art and longevity. According to it, part of the reason is due to differences in economic class and social position between those exposed and not exposed to artistic activities.
They found that wealth explains about 9% of cases of this phenomenon. Other factors such as awareness, social and group functioning, psychological health, mobility, disability and deprivation also contribute. Free time and work status don’t make any physical impact, says Fancourt.
“Part of the reason stems from the difference in socioeconomic status. This is similar to other studies that also say that the level of exposure to cultural and artistic activities depends on social status. “ , the report says.
However, Fancourt said: “More than half of the cases did not fall under the causes we identified” .
A concert.
She said that exposure to the arts has the ability to relieve pressure and support creativity , making it easier for people to adapt to changing circumstances. It also helps people build social capital, gain spiritual support and gain knowledge, leading to a better aging process.
“We thought that a higher purpose in life could also be a cause,” she said. “Combining this report with the existing evidence, we are slowly discovering how healthful art can be. Not only that, it can have many other benefits and help those who need it. healthy people live longer.”
The above report did not consider engagement activities in the arts. However, the World Health Organization (WHO) studied a body of data published earlier this year and discovered that actions of exposure, like visiting a museum, and actions of attendance, like singing in a choir, are all good for health.
The editor of the above report said that everyone deserves the opportunity to participate in or be exposed to arts and culture activities and the report raised concerns about the decline of arts subjects in school.
“Clinicians who have read this report will probably recognize the value of art , but they will also question why exposure to art and culture has the potential to affect health.” , said the editor.
“There has been a lot of research confirming that artistic activities have a positive effect on neurophysiology. However, the report’s authors warn that more research is needed to ensure survival. of the link between art and health”.