Museum visits and creative activities may slow aging, UK study finds

People who regularly visit museums or participate in creative activities may age more slowly biologically, according to a new British study.

Researchers at University College London analyzed data from more than 3,500 adults and found that people who frequently participated in arts and cultural activities showed signs of slower biological aging in several DNA-based measures.

The results were published in the journal Innovation in Aging.

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The study looked at activities such as painting, photography, dancing, singing, visiting museums and attending cultural events or historical sites.

People who frequently visit museums or participate in artistic activities may experience slower biological aging. (iStock)

The researchers compared participation in these activities with “epigenetic clocks,” scientific tools that examine chemical changes in DNA over time.

Adults who participated more often and in a wider variety of activities tended to show slower aging scores than people who rarely engaged in arts or cultural experiences.

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The association appears even stronger among adults over 40.

The researchers also noted that the magnitude of the effects was comparable to that linked to physical activity, one of the most studied behaviors associated with healthy aging.

The study found that adults who engaged in artistic and cultural activities more often showed slower biological aging. (iStock)

Jessica Mack, a health and wellness expert and founder of the Functional Consulting Group who was not involved in the study, said the findings reflect a growing understanding that health is not influenced by exercise and nutrition alone.

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“Arts and cultural engagement may be associated with slower epigenetic aging, with effects comparable in some measures to physical activity,” Mack told Fox News Digital.

She said activities such as visiting museums and engaging in music or art can help reduce stress, improve emotional regulation and increase social connections.

Experts say these activities can reduce stress, improve emotional regulation and strengthen social connections. (iStock)

“These are not ‘extra’ lifestyle activities,” Mack said. “They may be deeply linked to how the body deals with inflammation, stress hormones, mood and overall resilience.”

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Mack added that people facing stress, social isolation, retirement or caregiving responsibilities can especially benefit from meaningful cultural engagement.

Experts caution, however, that the study does not prove that artistic engagement directly slows aging.

“This is an observational study, not an experiment,” UCLA professor Steve Horvath, a longevity researcher and pioneer in epigenetic aging research who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

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“So when researchers find that people who go to museums have a younger epigenetic age, we can’t say whether museum visits slowed their aging, or whether it was their slower aging that allowed them to continue visiting museums,” he said.

Although the findings suggest a link, experts caution that the study cannot prove that arts and cultural activities directly slow aging. (iStock)

Horvath said both explanations may be true to some extent, although he described the research as “methodologically cautious” and worthy of further study.

The results remained consistent even after taking into account factors such as smoking, income, weight and other lifestyle habits.

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He added that while artistic engagement directly slows biological aging, staying socially and mentally active is still associated with healthier aging overall.

“The prescription is the same,” he said. “Continue.”