If you enjoy this harmonious hobby, Australian researchers believe it could benefit the brain well into the later years of life.
Whether you prefer to crank up the volume on your favorite tunes while walking, driving, or unwinding, new research suggests it’s not just good for your overall mood—it could be a key for better protecting your brain. The October 2025 study, conducted by a group of Australian public health, preventative medicine, and neurology researchers, found that consistently engaging with music may help reduce the risk of dementia and other forms of cognitive decline in older adults.
Drawing on data from more than 10,800 participants ages 70 and older in both the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) and ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) studies, the researchers—led by a team from Australia’s Monash University—explored how music-related leisure activities might influence long-term brain health and cognitive well-being. The findings were published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
When the researchers compared older adults who stated they either always, sometimes, rarely, or never listened to music, those who “always” listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia and a 17% lower risk of cognitive impairment without dementia compared with those in the remaining three groups. It was not immediately clear in the provided study text how much listening those who answered “always” did.
There was also good news for all those who have kept their musician skills sharp over the years: Participants who both listened to and played music showed a 33% reduction in dementia risk and a 22% reduction in the risk of cognitive impairment without dementia. Playing an instrument, regardless of music-listening habits, was also linked to a 35% decreased risk of dementia.
Beyond risk reduction, frequent music listeners tended to maintain better overall cognitive performance and memory over time. However, musical engagement did not appear to affect how participants felt about their cognitive well-being—that is, their self-perceived mental sharpness remained unchanged.
Interestingly, the protective effects of music were strongest among individuals with more than 16 years of education, suggesting that reaching higher levels of education may enhance the brain’s ability to benefit from stimulating activities like music.
“Performing or listening to music activates a variety of structures in the brain that are involved in thinking, sensation, movement, and emotion. These brain effects may have physical and psychological benefits,” explains the National Institutes of Health (NIH). “For example, music causes the release of brain chemicals (neurotransmitters and hormones) that can evoke emotional reactions, memories, and feelings and promote social bonds. Music can even affect the structure of the brain,” they write.
Still, the study’s authors caution that while these associations are encouraging, they cannot yet confirm a direct cause-and-effect relationship. But the results add to a growing body of evidence highlighting music’s brain-boosting potential. As populations age and dementia rates rise—2025 research from the NIH projects that the number of new dementia cases will double in the coming years, jumping from 514,000 in 2020 to 1 million by 2060—such findings underscore the promise of music not only as an art form, but as a potentially powerful tool for lifelong well-being.
Given that there is currently no cure for dementia, researchers say finding ways to either prevent or delay the disease is “critical,” according to a university news release. Concludes the authors: “Evidence suggests that brain ageing is not just based on age and genetics but can be influenced by one’s own environmental and lifestyle choices.”
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