09/21/2025
Learning an instrument as an adult reduces the risk of dementia! 🎶💪
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Studies have revealed that learning to play an instrument as an adult can reduce your risk of dementia by a whopping 64%!
Learning music increases the brain’s ability to form new neural connections and reorganize existing ones, a property known as plasticity. It has been shown to increase gray matter volume in areas linked to high-level cognitive function.
The complex demands of playing an instrument improve various cognitive abilities, including memory, processing speed, verbal fluency, and attention.
Learning to play an instrument also develops cognitive reserve which refers to the brain’s ability to tolerate and compensate for changes caused by aging or disease. Engaging in music enriches this reserve allowing the brain to remain functional for longer despite potential brain changes.
Playing an instrument also engages a unique combination of sensory and motor systems. This multisensory, multicoordinate activity effectively exercises multiple brain regions simultaneously.
Music practice can also help reduce stress, anxiety and depression, which are all associated with increased dementia risk.
By keeping the brain actively engaged through the above mechanisms, learning to play an instrument is an incredible holistic way to significantly reduce your dementia risk!
PMID: 25544932
