The secret to so many artists living so long is that every painting is a new adventure. They're always looking ahead to something new and exciting.
― Norman Rockwell
New research published in BMJ shows that patrons of the arts live longer.
Daisy Fancourt and Andrew Steptoe, both behavioral scientists in the UK, tracked 6,700 seniors (average age 66) for 14 years.
They found that seniors who visit art museums, galleries and exhibitions, or attend plays, concerts or operas at least once a year have a 14% lower risk of dying than seniors who don't; and that seniors who engage with the arts more frequently―every few months or more―have a 31% lower risk of dying.
Their findings don't depend on race, ethnicity, gender, wealth, health, education, mobility or other activities, such as exercise, club membership, hobbies and church-going.
The researchers concluded that the arts might have a "protective association" with longevity.
"This association might be partly explained by differences in cognition, mental health, and physical activity among those who do and do not engage in the arts, but remains even when the model is adjusted for these factors (italics mine)."
Simply put, the arts protect you from dying.
Painting by Bob James
