| Title | Music Engagement and Episodic Memory among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis. |
| Publication Type | Journal Article |
| Year of Publication | 2021 |
| Authors | Rouse HJ, Jin Y, Hueluer G, Huo M, Bugos JA, Veal B, Torres M, Peterson L, Dobbs D, Meng H |
| Journal | J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci |
| Date Published | 2021 Mar 15 |
| ISSN | 1758-5368 |
| Abstract | OBJECTIVES: To determine whether music engagement influences middle-aged and older adults' performance on episodic memory tasks. METHODS: Secondary data analysis of a sample (N = 4,592) of cognitively healthy adults from the 2016 Health and Retirement Study were used for this study. Multivariable regression models were used to analyze the cross-sectional differences in performance on tasks of episodic memory between participants who listened to music (n= 3,659) or sang or played an instrument (n= 989). RESULTS: On average, participants recalled 10.3 words out of a possible 20. Regression analyses showed that both music listening and singing or playing an instrument were independently associated with significantly better episodic memory. DISCUSSION: The findings provide the first population-based evidence that music engagement is associated with better episodic memory among middle-aged and older adults. Future studies should examine whether the association is causal or has a dose response. |
| DOI | 10.1093/geronb/gbab044 |
| Alternate Journal | J Gerontol B Psychol Sci Soc Sci |
| PubMed ID | 33721884 |
The Sound Health Network is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership with the University of California, San Francisco, in collaboration with the National Institutes of Health, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and Renée Fleming.