Going to Concerts on a Regular Basis Can Help You Live Longer
I’m a huge fan of attending concerts. Which is actually sort of weird, because I generally don’t like crowds or loud music (get off my lawn, et cetera). But man, there’s just something so electric about being in a venue with thousands of other music fans, everyone singing and dancing and just letting it all go. I’ve been going to concerts since I was a kid, and now I get to bring my oldest along for a taste of live music. A couple of years ago, she got to be my date to see Adele. Last summer, it was Lady Gaga in San Francisco. This fall, we’re going to be dancing our butts off at Bruno Mars.
Getting to live vicariously through her as she experiences concerts for the first time has been amazing. And you know what? It makes me feel young again. Turns out, there may be a reason for that! A new study says that going to concerts can extend your life expectancy. Rocking out literally adds years to your life!
Attending concerts on a regular basis can increase your life span, and help you live longer. Jury’s still out on how well your hearing will hold up, though.
The study, commissioned by British telecom company O2 and conducted by behavioral science expert Patrick Fagan, says that attending concerts every couple of weeks can extend your life expectancy by as many as nine years. Researchers measured “feelings of well-being”, similar to what someone would feel after doing yoga or walking the dog.
Just 20 minutes of live music resulted in a 21% increase in feelings of well-being. Compare that to a 10% increase after the same time spent doing yoga, and 7% increase after 20 minutes of dog-walking, and it’s clear that concerts are way better for you.
In addition to the increase in well-being, concert-goers experienced a 25% increase in feelings of self-worth, 25% increase in feeling closeness to others, and a whopping 75% increase in mental stimulation. As someone who regularly attends concerts, I completely agree with these findings. Live music is good for your soul, and the camaraderie you feel with your fellow music-lovers is unparalleled.
Hopefully, I’ll use my extra nine years of life to continue rocking out and overpaying for draft beer. Worth it!
(Image: iStock / gpointstudio)
