@article {11514, title = {Music Engagement and Episodic Memory among Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A National Cross-Sectional Analysis.}, journal = {The Journals of Gerontology: Series B}, volume = {77}, year = {2022}, pages = {558-566}, abstract = {

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether music engagement influences middle-aged and older adults{\textquoteright} 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.

}, keywords = {age norms, healthcare policy, lifestyle, Memory, Music, regression methods}, issn = {1758-5368}, doi = {10.1093/geronb/gbab044}, author = {Rouse, Hillary J and Jin, Ying and Hueluer, Gizem and Huo, Meng and Bugos, Jennifer A and Veal, Britney and Torres, Mia and Peterson, Lindsay and Dobbs, Debra and Meng, Hongdao} }