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Music can stave off dementia by up to 40 per cent, Monash study finds
https://www.monash.edu/medicine/news/latest/2025-articles/music-can-stave-off-dementia-by-up-to-40-per-cent,-monash-study-finds10 November 2025
Listening to music when you are over 70 years of age has been linked to a 39 per cent reduction in the risk of dementia, according to a Monash University-led study of over 10,800 older people.
The study, led by Monash honours student Emma Jaffa, and Professor Joanne Ryan, looked at the benefits of listening to music or playing music in people aged over 70, finding that always listening to music compared with never/rarely/sometimes listening to music was associated with a 39 per cent decreased risk of dementia. While playing an instrument was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in dementia risk.
This study used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub‐study and was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The study found that always listening to music was associated with the greatest reduction in dementia risk, with a 39 per cent lower incidence of dementia and 17 per cent lower incidence of cognitive impairment, as well as higher scores in overall cognition and episodic memory (used when recalling everyday events). While regularly engaging in both music listening and playing was associated with a 33 per cent decreased risk of dementia and 22 per cent decreased risk of cognitive impairment.
…
https://doi.org/10.1002/gps.70163Listening to music when you are over 70 years of age has been linked to a 39 per cent reduction in the risk of dementia, according to a Monash University-led study of over 10,800 older people.
The study, led by Monash honours student Emma Jaffa, and Professor Joanne Ryan, looked at the benefits of listening to music or playing music in people aged over 70, finding that always listening to music compared with never/rarely/sometimes listening to music was associated with a 39 per cent decreased risk of dementia. While playing an instrument was associated with a 35 per cent reduction in dementia risk.
This study used data from the ASPirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study, and the ASPREE Longitudinal Study of Older Persons (ALSOP) sub‐study and was published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry.
The study found that always listening to music was associated with the greatest reduction in dementia risk, with a 39 per cent lower incidence of dementia and 17 per cent lower incidence of cognitive impairment, as well as higher scores in overall cognition and episodic memory (used when recalling everyday events). While regularly engaging in both music listening and playing was associated with a 33 per cent decreased risk of dementia and 22 per cent decreased risk of cognitive impairment.
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