Tapping into your creative side by engaging in activities like visiting art museums and attending live performances promote healthy aging.
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October 2023
HUMANITIES AND HUMAN FLOURISHING NEWSLETTER
Advancing the understanding, assessment, and cultivation of well-being by means of a deep and sustained collaboration between the arts, humanities, and social sciences
The Art of Healthy Aging
We all know that regular physical activity, proper nutrition, and a good night’s sleep are essential to healthy aging. (Good genes help too.) But did you know that tapping into your creative side by engaging in activities like visiting art museums and attending live performances also promote healthy aging? The arts may even contribute to longevity according to a study examining arts engagement and mortality in adults over 50 years of age.
Engaging with the arts and humanities not only may not only increase the quantity of years we can expect to live, but the quality of those added years. In a study conducted by the National Endowment of the Arts, U.S. adults over 55 years of age who both created and attended art reported better physical and cognitive health outcomes than adults who neither created or attended art.
Staying mentally sharp is a critical feature of healthy aging and a growing body of research demonstrates that cultural engagement can play a role. For example, a study by Fancourt and Steptoe found that frequent engagement with music, visual art, film is associated with lower declines in cognitive function. Additionally, museum attendance has been shown to reduce the incidence of dementia. One reason that cultural engagement may help exercise the brain is due to the cognitive complexity of the arts.
For older adults, engagement in the arts and humanities can serve as a protective factor against social isolation while promoting social connection and overall well-being. According to studies, participation in arts-based group activities, such as a choir, reduce feelings of loneliness and increase interest in life as well as improve reported physical and mental health in older adults.
Similarly, developing arts-based hobbies, such as drawing, pottery, beading, jewelry, woodwork, or photography, can help older adults connect over similar interests fostering a sense of community and belonging. In particular, research has documented the benefits of art and craft activities for older women. Liddle and colleagues found that crafting clubs were a valued means of developing friendships, meaning, and enjoyment.
These studies offer insight into how various forms of artistic engagement can contribute to healthy aging, whether you choose to be the artist or to experience the art of others.
What types of arts or cultural activities do you engage in? How can you amplify the well-being benefits at every age and stage? How can you make arts engagement part of your routine of habits that support your healthy longevity?
Healthy Aging and the Arts in Research
A recent paper by Meeks and colleagues (2020) found that adults over 60 who attended live theatre productions experienced a sense of social engagement, feelings of belonging and flow states that were associated with positive emotions. These findings held immediately following individual performances and cumulatively over two seasons.
Healthy Aging and the Arts in Practice
Based in Los Angeles, CA, Wallace Annenberg Genspace is a community hub for older adults that promotes creativity, social connection, and thriving via lifelong learning. Their extensive programming focuses on the arts. Weekly classes include drawing, clay work, painting, knitting, crochet, drumming, singing, and mixed media designs.
HHF News
James Pawelski and Katherine Cotter will be editing a special issue on the Positive Humanities in the of the Journal of Positive Psychology. Further information, including submission information and guidelines, is available here.
Upcoming Events
As part of the HHF colloquium series, we are hosting a series of conversations between scientists and practitioners on the arts, culture, and well-being. This fall, we will hear from innovators working in research institutions and cultural organizations on how engagement in music and the visual arts can promote well-being in individuals and communities. We welcome you to join us for these virtual events and to take part in these important exchanges.
- Wednesday, October 25, 2023 | 10:00am to 11:30am ET – MacKenzie Trupp (University of Vienna) and Martha Lucy (Barnes Foundation) discussing how art viewing in a variety of museum environments benefits well-being. More information and registration is available here.
Couldn't make it to one of our past colloquia? Check out the recording on our HHF YouTube Channel.
This newsletter was created by Jennifer Rossano, Katherine Cotter, Sarah Sidoti, Alina Spas, and James Pawelski.
