Dr Rangan Chatterjee

The Forgotten Habit That Lowers Dementia, Depression & Aging | Daisy Fancourt

Fill out our audience survey via https://drchatterjee.com/survey This episode is brought to you by: AG1: Get FREE AG1 Flavour Sampler, AGZ Sampler, Vitamin D3+K2 and Welcome Kit with your first AG1 subscription (worth $87, US only) https://bit.ly/43FwxQl Most of us know that nutrition, movement and sleep are key pillars of health. But what if I told you that creativity belongs in the same conversation – and the science to prove it has been mounting up for decades? Professor Daisy Fancourt, one of the world’s leading health researchers, has uncovered a wealth of evidence linking engagement with the arts to improved mental and physical health. It’s all collected in her wonderful book, Art Cure, and I only wish it had existed as required reading when I was a medical student. Daisy agrees it’s been a ‘bizarrely well-kept secret’. We think of creative pursuits – music, theatre, dancing, arts and crafts – as ‘nice to haves’ but not necessary parts of life. But she believes a public awareness shift is on the horizon. Just as we’ve come to understand that exercise is an essential component of health, so too will we realise that ‘art as medicine’ is a scientific fact – one to be prescribed not ignored. It’s quite the promise – and a really exciting one to consider. Because for most of us, the arts represent enjoyment. So this health advice could be the easiest and most pleasurable you’ve ever followed! During this conversation Daisy and I discuss what engaging with the arts really means, and why it differs from non-creative, relaxing activities. We talk about the rise in screen-based ‘junk’ art, and why the post-pandemic continuum of virtual experiences can’t match real-world ones. And we explore how the arts tick lots of wellbeing boxes, from arousing nostalgia to firing the imagination, building confidence and communities to getting us moving. Most of us instinctively get it: the creative side of life is good for us. The science behind it though, is extraordinary. From lowering blood pressure to slowing biological ageing, reducing dementia risk to lowering inflammation, these aren’t small effects. Engaging with the arts has even been shown to cut older adults' risk of dying by 31 percent. Yet none of this has made it into mainstream health conversations – until now. There is so much packed into this joyous episode, from the surprising power of music to the unique combination of benefits that come from dancing. Daisy also shares some original ways to incorporate the arts into your life more – you’ll never think of your five a day, or your commute, in the same way again. We’re born creative and embrace it in childhood, but I think we stop prioritising it as adults. This conversation will kickstart it again. #feelbetterlivemore Find out more about Professor Fancourt: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/44526-daisy-fancourt Professor Fancourt’s book: Art Cure:The Science of How the Arts Transform Our Health UK https://amzn.to/4tnPfII US https://amzn.to/4n5L2YB #feelbetterlivemore #feelbetterlivemorepodcast ------- Order MAKE CHANGE THAT LASTS. US & Canada version https://amzn.to/3RyO3SL, UK version https://amzn.to/3Kt5rUK ----- Follow Dr Chatterjee at: Website: https://drchatterjee.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drchatterjee Twitter: https://twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drchatterjee/ Newsletter: https://drchatterjee.com/subscription DISCLAIMER: The content in the podcast and on this webpage is not intended to constitute or be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have heard on the podcast or on my website.

RCDr. Rangan ChatterjeehostDFDaisy Fancourtguest

May 6, 2026·1h 23m·Watch on YouTube ↗

📖 CHAPTERS

1. 1

   Why the arts are a “forgotten” pillar of health

   Daisy Fancourt argues that arts engagement deserves to sit alongside diet, sleep, and exercise because the evidence base has rapidly expanded and shows measurable effects on mind and body. She explains why this science has stayed relatively hidden, partly due to cultural assumptions that the arts are a luxury rather than essential health behavior.

2. 2

   Music and blood pressure: a surprisingly strong intervention

   They discuss trials where adding daily music listening to standard hypertension care leads to additional reductions in systolic blood pressure. The conversation broadens to observational findings showing arts-engaged people tend to have healthier cardiovascular and metabolic markers even after accounting for other lifestyle factors.

3. 3

   Beyond music: which art forms reduce stress physiology?

   Fancourt explains that multiple art forms—not just music—can trigger relaxation responses and short-term improvements in blood pressure/heart rate. Regular weekly engagement appears to produce cumulative, longer-term benefits.

4. 4

   Arts engagement, longevity, and slower biological aging

   Using cohort studies and emerging biomarkers, Fancourt describes consistent links between arts/culture participation and longer lifespan. She highlights cutting-edge work on “brain age” and biological aging clocks suggesting arts engagement may decelerate aging processes.

5. 5

   Epigenetic clocks and gene expression: the ‘deep biology’ of art

   They explore epigenetic aging (DNA methylation patterns) and how frequent, diverse arts engagement correlates with a younger epigenetic age—similar in magnitude to physical activity. Fancourt also references work showing classical music listening can shift gene expression related to neuronal protection and plasticity.

6. 6

   Why arts can outperform “relaxing” activities: added ingredients and supercharging

   Chatterjee contrasts arts with other calming behaviors (walking, chatting), and Fancourt explains the ‘extra ingredients’ the arts provide—multi-sensory stimulation, imagination, novelty, and cognitive challenge. Examples include choosing a concert/exhibition with friends and dance-based exercise outperforming standard aerobic exercise in some studies.

7. 7

   Dance across the lifespan: balance, falls, bones, and practicality

   The discussion turns to dance as an accessible, enjoyable way to combine movement, coordination, music, and social connection. Fancourt notes research linking regular dance with better balance, bone mineral density, and fewer falls, and suggests choosing any dance style you’ll stick with.

8. 8

   From ritual and bonding to ‘artistic passivity’: what we’ve lost

   They examine the historical role of arts in healing, ritual, and social cohesion, and why modern life has shifted toward passive or background consumption. Fancourt cites data showing extremely low day-to-day active arts participation and introduces the idea that screen-based arts can be like ‘ultra-processed’ engagement—still beneficial but often weaker than live/participatory forms.

9. 9

   What counts as ‘arts engagement’: receptive vs participatory (and overlooked art forms)

   Fancourt defines arts engagement and expands it beyond the obvious (music, painting, theater) to include culinary arts, horticultural arts, and even circus/magic—activities sharing creativity, sensory stimulation, and aesthetics. She distinguishes receptive engagement (watching/listening) from participatory engagement (making/doing), noting both can help mental health but participation may be especially important for cognition and some physiological outcomes.

10. 10

    Enjoyment, ‘sad songs,’ and emotional regulation via predictive coding

    They unpack the role of pleasure and dopamine, including anticipation and tension–resolution in stories and music. Fancourt explains why even sad, angry, or frightening art can support wellbeing through ‘aesthetic distance,’ and how arts feed the brain’s predictive coding—training emotion regulation and resilience—while also noting personal triggers and individual differences.

11. 11

    Meaning, purpose, and arts in palliative care and bereavement

    Fancourt describes how arts address psychological and social needs that medicine alone often can’t—especially at end of life. They discuss powerful examples from palliative wards where music and shared artistic experiences provide comfort, meaning, connection, and support for grieving.

12. 12

    Children, access, and inequality: why school arts provision matters

    The conversation highlights the developmental role of arts in childhood—cognition, mental health, identity, self-esteem, creativity, compassion—and warns about reduced arts provision in schools. Fancourt stresses unequal access outside school and notes that early exposure predicts adult engagement, shaping lifelong health benefits.

13. 13

    Dementia applications: agitation, wayfinding, and why music remains accessible

    They ‘close the loop’ on dementia by discussing practical uses of music during bathing/mealtimes to reduce agitation and distress. Fancourt explains design-based interventions (color pathways, artwork for navigation) and a key neuroscience insight: long-term musical memory is preserved late in Alzheimer’s, making familiar youth music particularly effective.

14. 14

    How to build an ‘arts diet’: daily doses, variety, and the creative commute

    Fancourt offers practical guidance: treat arts like nutrition—aim for a daily minimum and diversify forms for different ‘ingredients.’ She introduces planning ahead (‘identify your chicken soup’) for times of illness, and shares her ‘creative commute’ swap—reading on the train and listening to music on the way home—to consistently bookend the workday with restorative engagement.

15. 15

    Arts in medicine and society: inflammation, surgery anxiety, prescribing, and equity

    They review evidence that arts can modulate immune and inflammatory markers (e.g., drumming, expressive writing, broader proteomic patterns) and improve clinical experiences like pre-surgery anxiety—sometimes rivaling medication. The chapter expands to arts-on-prescription programs (including Greece integrating it into psychiatric care), spillover into healthier behaviors, the importance of equitable access, and the need to value artists and cultural infrastructure post-COVID.