Creative Hobbies: Protecting the Brain from Aging

A new international study published in Nature Communications reveals that engaging in creative hobbies, such as tango dancing, music, visual arts, and strategy games, can slow down brain aging.

The study found that creative activities help maintain youthfulness in brain regions that tend to weaken with age. Augustin Ibanez of Trinity College Dublin, one of the study's authors, stated that creativity is a powerful factor for brain health, comparable to exercise or diet.

Researchers used electroencephalograms and magnetoencephalograms on 1,240 volunteers to measure brain functional connectivity. They then analyzed 232 tango dancers, musicians, artists, and video game players, finding that their brain's biological age was younger than their chronological age. The benefits were more pronounced in experienced tango dancers.

Furthermore, the study showed that learning a new creative hobby, such as StarCraft II, can reduce the biological age of the brain and improve attention.

The results suggest that engaging in creative activities can protect the brain from aging.