Studies are showing that learning to play an instrument can bring significant improvements in your brain.
— February 6th, 2020
A growing number of studies show that music lessons in childhood can provide many benefits for the long run, as we age, in the form of an added defense against memory loss, cognitive decline, and diminished ability to distinguish consonants and spoken words.
According to neuropsychologist Brenda Hanna-Pladdy, of Emory University in Atlanta, the reason is that musical training can have a “profound” and lasting impact on the brain, creating additional neural connections in childhood that can last a lifetime and thus help compensate for cognitive declines later in life.
Moreover, you can even map the impact of musical training on the brain. Plus research is showing that the longer you played an instrument, the better.
However, do not be discouraged. It’s not too late to gain benefits even if you didn’t take up an instrument until later in life.
For more information on these studies click here.
This article is a re-post, with small modifications, of “Your Aging Brain Will Be in Better Shape If You’ve Taken Music Lessons” an article published on nationalgeographic.com by Diane Cole.
