Thekabarnews.com – Listening to music daily can be a relaxing way to protect your brain. Daily music listening lowers the risk of dementia and cognitive decline later in life, studies show.

Researchers at Monash University in Australia followed more than 10,000 adults for ten years. They found that people who listened to music regularly had a 39% lower risk of developing dementia. This is in comparison to people who did not listen to music very often. The results support past studies that showed music is an important part of keeping the brain healthy as people get older.

Neuroscientists say that music is different from other things because it engages many parts of the brain at once. Listening to music activates parts of the brain that control memory, language, attention, emotion, and motor coordination. Few other everyday activities trigger this rare combination of effects.

Studies published in journals like Frontiers in Psychology and Nature Reviews Neuroscience show that this activation of multiple brain areas strengthens connections between neurons. It supports neuroplasticity, which is the brain’s ability to adapt and reorganize itself. Many people think that strong neuroplasticity is a critical way to protect against cognitive loss that comes with age.

Music provides extra benefits

Music that has emotional meaning seems to provide extra benefits. Studies from Harvard Medical School and University College London show that listening to music you know can bring back memories, make you less anxious, and lower cortisol levels. Cortisol is the body’s main stress hormone.

Long-term high levels of cortisol have been linked to quicker brain aging and a higher risk of dementia. Music may protect cognitive function over time by helping to control how the body reacts to stress.

Experts emphasize that the advantages of music are not contingent upon musical proficiency or formal education. You do not have to know how to play an instrument or grasp music theory to use these protection systems.

Just listening to music, singing along, or letting a favorite song play in the background can stimulate brain networks. These networks are linked to memory, emotional control, and attention.

Research on dementia care provides valuable insights

The Alzheimer’s Association has also shown that music therapy can help people with dementia feel better, calm down, and remember things that might otherwise seem impossible.

Researchers are increasingly calling music a low-cost, easy-to-access, and fun habit. It may have a big impact on long-term brain health, especially when combined with physical activity, social engagement, and lifelong learning.

As scientists explore non-drug ways to age well, it is becoming clearer that playing your favorite song every day may be a little habit. It also has surprisingly strong impacts on the brain.