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If listening to your favorite music is already part of your daily routine, new research suggests there may be another reason to keep it up.

A large study led by researchers at Monash University in Australia found that adults aged 70 and older who regularly listened to music were significantly less likely to develop dementia than those who listened less frequently.

The research, published in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, examined nearly 11,000 older adults and found benefits associated with both listening to music and playing a musical instrument.

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Music listeners had lower dementia risk

Researchers analyzed data from 10,893 Australians aged 70 and older who were living independently and did not have dementia when they entered the study.

Participants who said they “always” listened to music had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia compared with people who never, rarely, or only sometimes listened.

Frequent listeners also had a 17% lower risk of developing cognitive impairment without dementia. They performed better over time on measures of overall cognitive ability and episodic memory — the ability to remember events and experiences.

Playing music was associated with similar benefits. Participants who often or always played an instrument had a 35% lower risk of developing dementia.

Older adults who combined the two activities — listening to music and playing an instrument — had a 33% lower dementia risk and a 22% lower risk of cognitive impairment compared with people with lower levels of musical engagement.

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Why music might matter as we age

Researchers are increasingly interested in whether everyday activities can help maintain cognitive function later in life.

Music is particularly intriguing because listening to it involves several parts of the brain, including areas involved in memory, attention, and emotion. Playing an instrument adds other mental challenges, including concentration, learning, and physical coordination.

Senior author Professor Joanne Ryan said research increasingly suggests brain aging isn’t determined entirely by age and genetics. Lifestyle and environmental factors may also play a role.

For retirees, music has another advantage: It’s an activity that can be adapted to almost any lifestyle.

Listening to music doesn’t require strenuous exercise or expensive equipment. Or even leaving home. Playing an instrument can also provide an opportunity to learn something new or return to a hobby that may have been neglected during working years.

Music can also be a social activity. Joining a choir, community music group, or simply sharing music with friends and family can provide social engagement, another factor commonly associated with healthy aging.

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Don’t consider music a dementia treatment

There is an important caveat to the findings.

The study was observational, meaning researchers found an association between musical activities and dementia risk. They did not prove that listening to music or playing an instrument directly prevents dementia.

People who regularly engage with music may differ from other older adults in ways that also affect their cognitive health. Additional research, including clinical trials, would be needed to determine whether increasing musical activity actually reduces dementia risk.

That means music shouldn’t replace other steps recommended for maintaining health or treatment prescribed by a physician.

But unlike many things associated with healthy aging, listening to music requires little effort and carries few downsides.

For retirees who already enjoy jazz, country, classical, rock, or anything in between, the findings offer one more reason to keep listening — and perhaps even dust off that old guitar or piano.