Going to the Theater Might Slow Down Aging, Study Suggests

If you've ever needed a health-related excuse to buy theater tickets, we may have found one. New research suggests that going to the movies, visiting a museum, or seeing a show could be associated with slower physiological aging.

It seems as though staring at paintings and eating popcorn in the dark may belong somewhere in our healthy-aging plans. Before we cancel our gym memberships, though, there's a little bit more to the story.

Researchers Looked at Nearly 1,900 Adults

The new study used data from 1,899 adults who were part of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing. Researchers looked at how often people enjoyed cultural outings, including:

• Trips to the cinema

• Museums

• Art galleries

• Theaters

• Concerts

• The opera

Then, they compared that cultural engagement with their physiological age. And physiological age isn't simply the number of candles on our birthday cakes.

Researchers calculated it using 10 different measures of how the body was functioning, including:

• Blood pressure

• Lung function

• Grip strength

• Walking speed

• Body mass index

The average physiological age of the participants was 68.7.

Culture Was Linked With Slower Aging

Here's where our theater tickets start to look particularly appealing. The participants received a cultural engagement score based on how often they took part in those activities.

People with high levels of cultural engagement, meaning they did something cultural every few months or more, had an average physiological age of 66.9. For the folks with lower levels of cultural engagement, it was 69.9.

And the pattern went beyond those two groups. Every one-point increase in the cultural engagement score was associated with a physiological age about 31 days younger, even after adjusting for changing factors like:

• Household income

• Employment

• Chronic health conditions

Importantly, though, this was only an association. The study doesn't prove that sitting through a three-hour movie will shave time off our biological clocks.

This Isn't the First Time Culture Has Looked Good

This isn't the first research to suggest that getting out and enjoying the arts might be good for our health. A 2019 study followed 6,710 adults aged 50 and older for 14 years. People who engaged with the arts once or twice a year had a 14% lower risk of dying during the follow-up period than people who didn't engage at all.

Among those who went every few months or more, the risk was 31% lower. Again, that doesn't mean the theater itself was responsible for keeping people alive. But, it's an interesting pattern.

And there are some intriguing findings around our brains, too. Earlier research followed 3,445 older adults for 10 years and looked at how often they visited:

• Museums

• Art galleries

• Exhibitions

• Theaters

• Concerts

• The opera

Those who participated in these cultural activities showed less cognitive decline over the 10-year period. It’s kind of nice to see that culture has been quietly building quite the résumé.

Why Culture Might Be Good for Us

It's not entirely clear why cultural activities might be linked to healthier aging. But, there are a few possibilities. The authors of the new study suggest cultural activities may help strengthen social relationships, encourage healthier behaviors, and support our mental health.

That doesn't mean museums are medicine or Broadway is cardio. But, it does give us a few more reasons to feel good about an afternoon at the movies or a stroll through a new exhibition.

There's One Big Catch

People who regularly go to theaters and museums may be different from people who don't in ways that are difficult to untangle. For example, those with higher levels of cultural engagement tended to have higher socioeconomic status, were more likely to be working, and generally had better health.

In the study of nearly 1,900 adults, the researchers accounted for changing factors including household income, employment, and chronic health conditions. That gives the findings a little more weight. Still, this was merely an observational study, which means it can't prove that cultural outings themselves caused people to age more slowly. 

There's also another possibility: people who are healthier in the first place may simply be better able to get out and do these things. So, it’s best not to prescribe ourselves two museums and a matinee this weekend.

Our Plans Are Looking Pretty Solid

We already have plenty of reasons to go see a movie, wander around a museum, or buy tickets to a show. They're fun. They get us out of the house. And, every now and then, they give us something more interesting to talk about than work.

It’s fun to see how research is suggesting that those outings may be associated with healthier aging, but it’s not exactly permission to replace our workouts with a movie ticket.

Still, if you're deciding between another evening on the couch and going somewhere new and exciting, your body may appreciate the field trip.

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