Going to the cinema, spending the day at a museum and watching a play are all enjoyable ways to make the most of your free time, but new research suggests that these activities are not just enriching your mind, but protecting it.
According to a new study published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, regular “cultural engagement” might help lower someone’s risk of developing depression in old age.
Using data on more than 2,000 adults over 50 from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), researchers found that people who attended exhibitions, watched films, and/or went to the theatre once a month or more were 48 per cent less likely to develop depression as a result.
Those who engaged with cultural activities every few months also benefited from a 32 per cent lower risk.
The ELSA contains data on health and the social and mental wellbeing of elderly people in England over a period of 10 years. It includes information on how often people attend the opera, the cinema, art galleries, museums and the like, and reveals which participants have been diagnosed with depression.
Even after the results were adjusted to take into consideration other factors that may affect someone’s propensity for depression (age, gender, health and exercise), the researchers found that cultural activities still offered significant benefits to someone’s mental wellbeing.
“Generally speaking, people know the benefits of eating their five-a-day and of exercise for their physical and mental health, but there is very little awareness that cultural activities also have similar benefits,” commented lead author Dr Daisy Fancourt of University College London.
She explained that the benefits of cultural activities come from the mental stimulation, social interaction and creativity they can encourage.
“We were very pleasantly surprised by the results,” she added.
“Notably we find the same relationship between cultural engagement and depression amongst those of high and low wealth and of different levels of education, the only thing that differs is the frequency of participation.”
Dr Amanda Thompsell, chair of the old age faculty at the Royal College of Psychiatrists, points out that although the findings are promising, engaging in such activities alone won’t help treat depression.
“This requires an approach based on the use of talking therapies, complemented by the use of medication where an older person doesn’t respond or when they have more severe depression,” she said.
“The college welcomes this paper and encourages further research into the important area of old age mental health.”
