Art and Brain Health: How Creativity Can Support Your Brain as You Age

When was the last time a song stopped you in your tracks?

Maybe it was a song from your younger years that brought back a person, a place or a special memory. Maybe you saw a painting that made you feel something you couldn't quite explain. Or perhaps you spent an afternoon gardening, making a craft, playing an instrument or reading a good book—and suddenly realized you had lost track of time.

Those moments may seem like simple pleasures. But they may be doing much more than making you feel good. They may be giving your brain a workout.

A recent episode of Hidden Brain, called “What Art Does For Your Brain,” explored the growing science behind the connection between the arts and brain health. Host Shankar Vedantam spoke with Daisy Fancourt, a psychobiologist at University College London who studies how the arts affect our minds and bodies.

The message is encouraging, especially as we get older: Art isn't just entertainment. It can be part of living well.

Art Is More Than Museums and Concerts

When we hear the word “art,” we may think about paintings in a museum or a concert hall.

But art can be much more than that. It can be:

• Listening to or making music

• Singing

• Dancing

• Painting or drawing

• Photography

• Reading and storytelling

• Writing

• Knitting or crocheting

• Pottery and other crafts

• Theater and movies

• Gardening

• Visiting museums, galleries or performances

And you don't have to consider yourself “artistic” to benefit. In fact, you don't even have to be good at it. The value comes from taking part.

Give Your Brain Something to Do

One of the most interesting ideas discussed on Hidden Brain is that the arts can give the brain a kind of whole-brain workout.

Think about learning a new song. You listen to the music. You remember the notes. You move your fingers. You watch what you're doing. You think about what comes next. You feel the emotion in the music. Your brain is doing many things at once. The same can happen when you paint, dance, sing, write, act or make something with your hands.

Research has found that people who regularly engage in the arts tend to have better preservation of thinking and memory skills as they age. Some studies have also found that their brains show patterns that look younger than their actual age.

This doesn't mean that painting or playing music can stop the brain from aging. It does suggest something important: Keeping your brain active with rich, challenging activities may help build cognitive reserve—the brain's ability to adapt and keep working well as we age.

Think of it like having some extra strength in the bank. The more you challenge your brain in different ways, the more tools it may have to draw on later.

Art Can Lift Your Mood

The benefits aren't only about memory and thinking. Art can also change how we feel.

When we listen to music we love, read a good story or get absorbed in a creative activity, our brain's reward system becomes active. That can bring feelings of pleasure and enjoyment.

But art can also help us deal with harder emotions. Have you ever put on music when you were having a difficult day? Or picked up a book and become so involved in the story that you forgot about your worries for a while?

Creative activities can give us a break from stress. They can help us express feelings that are difficult to put into words. They can even help us look at a problem in a different way.

And the art doesn't always have to be happy. Sometimes a sad song is exactly what we need when we're feeling sad. Hearing words or music that match what we're feeling can remind us that we're not alone.

Art doesn't always make us feel happy. Sometimes it helps us understand what we're feeling—and that can help us feel better.

The Power of Using More Than One Sense

There's another reason creative activities can be so good for the brain: many of them use several senses at once.

Think about making pottery. You see the clay. You feel it in your hands. You shape it. You watch it change. You make decisions about what you want it to become. You may talk with the person sitting beside you. Or think about dancing. You're listening to music, moving your body, remembering steps, keeping your balance and responding to the people around you. That's a lot happening at once.

The arts naturally bring together things we already know are good for us: mental activity, physical movement, social connection and sensory experiences. That's what makes them so interesting. You're not just exercising one part of your brain. You're asking many parts to work together.

Making Something Is Especially Powerful

There's nothing wrong with enjoying art as an audience member. Listen to the concert. Watch the movie. Visit the museum. Read the book. But whenever you can, try making something, too.

Creating something requires you to make choices, solve problems, remember what you've learned and adjust when something doesn't work. Then there's the feeling that comes when you finish something. You made that.

Maybe you learned a new song on the piano. Finished a difficult knitting pattern. Painted a picture. Learned a new dance step. Made a piece of pottery. Those experiences can give us something that becomes especially important as we get older:

• The feeling that we can still learn.

• You don't have to be great at it.

• The goal isn't to win a prize.

• The goal is to keep growing.

Art Can Bring Us Closer to Other People

Creative activities can also help us stay connected. A choir isn't just about singing. A painting class isn't just about painting. A dance isn't just about movement. These activities give us a reason to be together. They create opportunities for conversation, laughter and shared experiences.

Research discussed on Hidden Brain suggests that singing and dancing with other people can help us form social bonds faster than simply talking or exercising together. That matters.

As we get older, staying connected to other people is an important part of living well. A creative activity can give you something to look forward to, introduce you to new people and create memories you can share.

Sometimes the art is what brings people together.

“I'm Just Not Artistic”

Maybe you're reading this and thinking:

• I can't draw.

• I can't sing.

• I'm not creative.

• You're not alone.

Many of us learned somewhere along the way that art was something you were either good at—or you weren't. But think about children. They sing without worrying about whether they can sing. They dance without worrying about how they look. They draw without comparing their work to anyone else's. They create because it's fun. We could learn something from them. You don't have to be an artist to enjoy the benefits of being creative.

Try Your Own “Daily Dose” of Art

So how can you bring more creativity into your life? You don't need to spend hours doing it.

The research suggests that regular engagement matters more than doing a lot all at once. Try starting with 10 or 15 minutes a day. Start with something you enjoy. Listen to your favorite music. Read a chapter. Work in your garden. Take photographs. Sketch. Sing. Try a craft. Don't start with something you think you should enjoy. Start with something you already love. Give it your full attention.

This may be one of the simplest changes you can make. Instead of listening to music while scrolling through your phone, sit down and really listen. Instead of watching a movie while checking email, watch the movie. Instead of rushing through a craft project, slow down and enjoy the process.

When we give something our full attention, we are more likely to become completely absorbed in it. Psychologists call this flow. It's that wonderful feeling when you're so involved in what you're doing that you forget about everything else for a while.

• Make something.

• Pick up the paintbrush.

• Try watercolor.

• Learn a few chords on a guitar.

• Write about a favorite childhood memory.

• Take pictures on your next walk.

• Try knitting or pottery.

• Make something with your hands.

It doesn't have to be good. It just has to be yours.

• Make it social.

• Invite a friend to a museum.

• Join a choir.

• Take a class.

• Start a book club.

• Go to a concert together.

• Try a craft group.

You'll get the benefits of the activity—and the benefits of spending time with other people.

Try something new. If you've been knitting for years, try painting. If you love music, try dancing. If you enjoy reading, try writing. If you love taking pictures, try learning a new photography technique.

Our brains like novelty. Learning something new gives your brain a new challenge and keeps your creative life interesting. Put it on the calendar. Don't wait until you “have time.” Make time. Ten minutes of music in the morning. An afternoon painting session. A weekly book club. A monthly museum visit.

The goal isn't to spend four hours on art one day and then forget about it for a month. It's to make creativity part of your life.

Keep Growing. Keep Creating. Keep Living.

Living well as we age isn't just about staying physically healthy. It's also about staying curious. It's about learning, creating, connecting and finding things that give us joy and purpose.

The research shared on Hidden Brain suggests that the arts can help us do all of those things. They can lift our mood, help us process emotions, bring us closer to other people and keep our brains engaged.

And perhaps the best part is that there are no age requirements.

• You can learn a new song at 70.

• Paint your first picture at 80.

• Join a choir at 75.

• Take up pottery at 85.

  
  

You can discover something new at any age. So don't worry about whether you're an artist. Be curious instead. Turn on the music. Pick up the paintbrush. Open the book. Join the class. Try the craft you've always wondered about.

Your masterpiece doesn't have to hang in a gallery. The real work of art may be the life you're continuing to create.

At Crimson Village, Living Fully Means Staying Engaged

This is at the heart of how we think about life enrichment at Crimson Village. We don't see activities as simply ways to fill the hours or keep a calendar busy. We believe meaningful activities should give residents opportunities to learn, create, move, connect and discover.

That's why our Life Enrichment program includes much more than traditional activities. Music, art, games, exercise, outings, crafts, entertainment and time spent with others all give residents opportunities to use different parts of their minds and bodies while doing things they enjoy.

And perhaps most importantly, we want residents to have opportunities to try something new, share their talents and continue discovering what brings them joy.

Because living fully doesn't stop when you move to a senior living community. It means having new experiences, building new connections and continuing to create a life that feels meaningful.