A new study has shown that playing an instrument or singing in a choir may promote your brain. It explains why generations of parents have told their children to practice their musical instruments. Parents have good reasons to lay emphasis on their children's musical education since learning an instrument is not only associated with cognitive (认知的) performance but also intelligence scores in children. But does this musicality translate to better cognition later in life?
A recent study in the International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry investigated this question by asking middle-aged and older people to complete a questionnaire on their lifetime musical experience before completing cognitive thinking tests. The results showed that musical people had better memory and executive function — the ability to stay focused on tasks, make a plan, and have self-control — than those with less or no musicality.
A good memory is important for playing a musical instrument, such as playing music from memory, and this seems to translate to people's cognitive performance. Similarly, executive function is required when playing an instrument, and it translates to improved cognitive performance too.
Although most people in the study played an instrument for only a few years, this finding was similar, regardless of which instrument people played, or the level of musical proficiency (熟练) people acquired.
What makes a difference, however, is whether people still play an instrument or only played in the past. Those who still play an instrument show higher cognitive performance. This makes sense as continued engagement in cognitively stimulating activities should result in continued brain health benefits while having played the guitar for three years at primary school might not have such a big impact on our cognitive performance later in life.
