SmartAging Podcast #28 - Creative experiences and aging

SmartAging isn’t only about improving assisted living or incorporating smart technologies in elderly care. It’s also about what makes everyday life meaningful for older adults. Multiple studies also suggest that creating and having creative experiences may slow down aging, protect the brain and improve the quality of life.

Tune in for the newest SmartAging podcast episode for an overview of arts, creativity and aging.

Episode transcription

Healthy aging is often thought of in terms of exercise, nutrition, or healthcare. But could visiting museums, listening to music, or painting also help us age better?

Hi! Welcome to the SmartAging podcast. I’m Emilia and I’m part of the SmartAging communications team.

For those unfamiliar with SmartAging, it is a transnational project bringing together experts from fields of care, design, architecture, and engineering, to improve everyday life for older adults through sustainable, inclusive, and environmentally responsible indoor environments in assisted living. We also develop and test smart solutions that support well-being, independence, and meaningful living in later life. So SmartAging isn’t only about improving assisted living or incorporating smart technologies in elderly care. It’s also about what makes everyday  life meaningful for older adults.

In this episode we’re going to take a look into a new study published in Innovation in Aging in May 2026 about creating and experiencing art and how it affects aging.

This recent research from University College London suggests that regular engagement with arts and cultural activities may be associated with slower biological ageing and, as many people who engage with creative activities can guess, a better quality of life.

While SmartAging focuses on smart technologies and sustainable assisted living environments, the project also aims to improve emotional well-being and quality of life which made this study interesting for the project as well.

But before we go further with the topic here are few disclaimers:

• First: My background is in communication so I’m aware that my knowledge lacks in the fields of technology, healthcare and aging related research, so we’re only going to scratch the surface so to say.
• Secondly: Parts of the script have been translated from finnish to english with DeepL and proofread with Grammarly.

That said, I’ll provide the links to all the sources that I’ve used in the description of the episode and on the SmartAging website. The episode transcription can also be found on the website.

In “Does leisure activity matter for epigenetic aging? Analyses of arts engagement and physical activity in the UK Household Longitudinal Study” researchers at University College London recently examined how participation in arts and cultural activities relates to biological aging.

The study was conducted by using existing data from  “Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study“, with the subgroup that had provided blood samples, and with the survey information on people’s leisure and physical activities.

The researchers combined survey information with DNA-methylation data from blood samples of over 3,500 UK adults.

DNA-methylation is a cellular process that regulates gene expression by attaching methyl groups to DNA without overwriting its underlying sequence. These methyl groups are added or removed from particular locations in the genome as we age, so that way methylation can be used to estimate aspects of aging.

And for example epigenetic clocks are based on the DNA methylation. In this study they used seven different epigenetic clocks. Epigenetic clocks, to put simply, can be used to measure for example:

• What age does DNA methylation look like?
• How biologically old does the person appear,
  considering health and aging-related processes?
• How quickly the body appears to be aging.

The data for people’s leisure activities was collected via survey from participantsabout their activities during the previous 12 month period.

Reports included participatory arts (like singing, painting, crafts,dancing), attending events and exhibitions, visiting heritage sites as well as museums,  libraries and archives. From the participants’ reports, researchers looked how often people participated in activities and how many different types of activities they did.

The similar data was also collected from participants regarding their physical activity.

On top of the DNA-methylation data and participant survey, the analysis took into account demographic, socioeconomic and health-related factors that could influence both leisure participation and biological aging.

So in short: The researchers compared different levels of arts and physical activity with epigenetic-aging measures, and then examined whether the associations were consistent across different aging clocks.

Their findings suggest that people who regularly engage with activities like reading, making music, painting, attending cultural events, or other creative hobbies tend to show signs of slower biological aging compared to those who rarely participate.

Aforementioned  activities were associated with up to 4% slower biological aging when participating in creative experiences weekly, which can be compared to regular exercising. The effects were more visible middle-aged and older adults when researchers did repeat analysis with participants over 40.

It’s good to note that the study did not specifically analyze elderly people as a separate group and that it’s showing association rather than causation. So the study does not prove that creative activity is the cause of slower. However it adds to more evidence that creativity, social participation, and meaningful activities might play an important role in healthy aging.

Other similar studies include for example:

• The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)  which examines “both active and passive participation of older adults in activities such as going to the cinema, plays or concerts, reading books or magazines, listening to music and radio, dancing, and spending time on hobbies and/or creative activities.“ In short the study found out positive effects of creative activities on health and quality of life.
• Creative experiences and brain clocks study from 2025found delayed brain age across expert and matched non-expert participants in dance, music, visual arts, and video games. Which suggest that creativity may protect the brain.
• Then there’s a few narrative reviews from 2024 and 2025 about visual art therapy as a potential treatment for mild cognitive impairment.

But why do creative activities have this kind of impact? Different studies have following answers among others for this question:

• Creativity lowers stress, reducing inflammation and cardiovascular risks
• Creative activities stimulate the brain as many activities require learning, concentration and problem-solving thus strengthening the neural networks
• Being creative allows self-expression giving sense of purpose
• Many activities contain social aspect/bring people together

These connect to SmartAging’s Senior Needs Report that also highlighted that emotional well-being and social interaction are among the most important priorities identified by older adults and care professionals across the Baltic Sea Region.  So the innovation isn’t only about smart sensors or digital services making everyday tasks easier. If we want to create better environments for later life, creativity and social connection have to be part of it.

We can think his through these questions:

• How can technology make arts and culture more accessible?
• How can assisted living environments support meaningful everyday experiences?

Technology can then become one of the tools for making these opportunities more accessible.

For example, digital technologies could allow residents to virtually visit museums,participate in online concerts and cultural events when their mobility is limited.

The goal is not to replace human interaction with technology, but to use technology and design to create more opportunities and better assisted living environments for participation, social interaction and enjoyment.

While the studies do not  prove that going to a museum, painting once a week, or listening to music will make you live longer, they highlight the fact that humans are creative creatures and that creativity is important in every stage of life.

Sources and studies referenced

• UCL: Engaging with arts linbked to slower pace of aging https://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/2026/may/engaging-arts-linked-slower-pace-ageing
• Medical News Today: Artistic pursuits could help slow down aging, and there’s science behind it: https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/artistic-pursuits-could-help-slow-down-aging
• Biomodal: The Fascinating world of DNA methylation: https://biomodal.com/blog/the-fascinating-world-of-dna-methylation/
• Helsingin yliopisto:Epigeneettinen kello kertoo, oletko ikäistäsi vanhempi: https://www.helsinki.fi/fi/uutiset/terveempi-maailma/epigeneettinen-kello-kertoo-oletko-ikaistasi-vanhempi
• Trinity College Dublin: Creativity and Ageing: new TILDA report explores benefits of creativity in later life: https://tilda.tcd.ie/news-events/2021/2119-creativeactivities-report-findings/
• Chiang L, Cheong D, Cordato NJ, Smerdely P. Visual art therapy and its effects in older people with mild cognitive impairment: A systematic review. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. : https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38185829/
• Zhao Y, Li T, Wang H, Li C. Visual art therapy for cognitive and emotional enhancement in aging and dementia: A structured narrative review. J Alzheimers Dis Rep. 2025: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41036471/
• Coronel-Oliveros, C., Migeot, J., Lehue, F. et al. Creative experiences and brain clocks. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-64173-9
• Turun AMK, Taikusydän,Ikääntyneet ja vanhustyö Opaskirjat, menetelmäoppaat ja materiaalipankit: https://taikusydan.turkuamk.fi/tietopankki/muut-julkaisut/ikaantyneet-ja-vanhustyo/
• Sitra, Näkökulmia taiteen ja kulttuurin terveysvaikutuksiin: https://arkisto.sitra.fi/artikkelit/nakokulmia-taiteen-ja-kulttuurin-terveysvaikutuksiin/

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