Scientists have discovered a new link between music and brain health
It’s long been known that music has remarkable health benefits, ranging from pain management to therapy to treatment for brain injuries and decline. Here’s a new one.
Boffins in Canada and China looked at older adults who spent years playing music and were surprised to learn that they have better hearing, especially for speech, when it comes to listening for things in noisy environments. Their brains act as if they were many decades younger and required less energy, enough to make up for any other age-related decline that might exist.
Playing music builds up our “cognitive research,” which is one way of describing how we back up memories and other things. Playing a musical instrument creates a stronger bond between parts of the brain involved in bearing, movement, and speech. This helps these older adults hone in on conversations when there’s a lot of noise around.
What’s the music-playing threshold? Practicing about 12 hours a week. Do that long enough, and the brain won’t have to work too hard unnecessarily. Still, it’s never too late to start. All music seems to be good for the brain.
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