Study: People who Go to the Cinema Regularly are less Likely to Become Depressed

The aim of the British study was to find a remedy for depression in old age. The reason: Every fourth Briton over the age of 65 suffers from depression. The symptoms can worsen with increasing age. In addition, experts estimate that the number of unreported cases of depressed older people who are not receiving treatment is much higher. The psychologists at University College London published their findings in the journal “The British Journal of Psychiatry.”

Data from more than 2000 Britons over 50 evaluated

The behavioral researchers led by Dr. Daisy Fancourt evaluated health data from 2148 women and men over 50 years of age who did not suffer from the mental illness at the start of the study. They obtained the information from the “English Longitudinal Study of Ageing,” or “ELSA” for short, a large database on the British population that has existed since 2002. Data on the health status and social and psychological well-being of the British are collected there at regular intervals.

This is how the researchers proceeded: They evaluated how often the participants visited a theater, museum and cinema and compared the frequency of these activities with the later development of the mental illness. Congenital risk factors were treated separately.

After 10 years, 616 participants diagnosed with depression

At the beginning of the study, none of the participants had suffered from depression. Ten years later, the disease had been diagnosed in 616 men and women, i.e. almost every third subject.

Older people who stated that they visited the cinema, museum or theater irregularly but at least every few months reduced their risk of developing depression by 32 percent. Those who took more time for cultural events were able to reduce their risk by half: Those who went to the cinema, theater or museum at least once a month reduced the risk by 48 percent. In contrast, those who stated that they never or very rarely took advantage of the cultural offerings developed depression at an above-average rate.

“People now know that nutrition and exercise are good for them mentally and physically, but what many don’t know is that cultural activities have just as positive effects on the body and mind,” says study leader Daisy Fancourt in the British “Independent.”

She and her colleagues explain the connection between cultural activities and the reduced risk of developing depression as follows: Cinema, theater or museum visits promote social interaction, they pose cognitive challenges, promote creativity and thus stimulate the mind.