Long confined to the level of aesthetic pleasure, culture could well become the new reflex for longevity. According to a brand new study conducted by the University College Londonattending museums, concerts or galleries would have a direct impact on our biological and mental aging. A theory that subtly shifts the focus on aging well: fewer miracle serums, more emotions, beauty and intellectual stimulation.
Culture, new rejuvenation according to science
Published a few days ago by five researchers from the University College London in the magazine Innovation in Agingthis new British study (re)gives culture a completely different status: that of a real lever of longevity. UCL researchers analyzed the biological data and lifestyle habits of 3,556 British people, by combining blood samples, DNA markers and frequency of cultural engagement. Concerts, reading, painting, dancing, visits to galleries or museums… Result: all these activities would have a measurable impact on our biological aging. The data is particularly striking: people practicing artistic activity “at least once a week†would show aging “4% slower†than those who use it less than three times a year. A monthly practice would be associated with aging…3% slower†.
The benefits would also be particularly visible after the age of 40, notably thanks to the emotional, cognitive and social stimulation that culture offers. Another indicator: according to one of the biological markers studied, the most culturally engaged participants would be “biologically younger by about a year†than those who are not artistically active. For comparison, “weekly physical activity only reduces biological age by a little more than six months.†An analogy which highlights the importance of such a discovery: “These results demonstrate the impact of art on health at a biological level. But they also prove that artistic and cultural practice must be recognized as a behavior favorable to health, in the same way as physical activity.†, explains the professor in an interview Daisy Fancourt, lead author of the study. His colleague Feifei Bu évoque même “the first proof†of a direct link between cultural engagement and slowing down biological aging.
How to incorporate more culture into your daily life?
Getting introduced to culture does not necessarily mean reserving your weekends for major exhibitions or subscribing to the opera. In light of the study deciphered above, the hypothesis also focuses on transforming culture into micro-rituals of well-being, as instinctive and systematic as a routine skincare. A morning walk with a playlist of Debussy or from Nina Simone in the ears, a literary podcast in the metro, a few pages of Joan Didion before sleeping: artistic stimulation can act in the accumulation of sensitive pleasures. In Paris, new generation clubs are also flourishing as contemporary cultural salons, like the Ramy Ciné Clubwhere cinema becomes a pretext for meeting and conversation. Same logic for plays broadcast in cinemas or available online, which allow you to infuse a little culture into an ordinary Tuesday evening. An exhibition visit during the lunch break, a ceramics workshop on Sunday, an improvised jazz concert in an intimate bar: culture is no longer just about exceptional events, but about daily emotional hygiene. Like an invisible treatment that simultaneously nourishes the brain, the mood and, perhaps now, the biological age.
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