Visiting movies, museums and theaters can ease symptoms of depression

[Teacher]

For their new study, psychologists from University College London used the English Longitudinal Study of Aging (ELSA), a 10-year longitudinal survey of adults in the UK. Daisy Fancourt and her colleagues analyzed data from a total of 2,000 participants of both sexes over 50 years old.

In an article published in the British Journal of Psychiatry, scientists report that even a moderately intense "cultural life" - visiting cinemas, museums, and so on - reduces the risk of developing depression by 32 percent, and if done at least once a month, then already by 48 percent.

According to psychologists, the reason for this positive effect can be a number of factors accompanying such "going out": meetings with friends and acquaintances, the emergence of new social connections, vivid positive experiences, a decrease in feelings of isolation and loneliness. All this can have a beneficial effect on reducing the level of cortisol, a hormone associated with chronic inflammatory processes that is over-active in people with depression.

It is also possible that attending cultural events directly leads to the production of dopamine, which enhances positive emotions. “Just as we strive to follow the recommendation of 'at least five' fruits and vegetables a day,” says Daisy Francourt, “we should schedule regular cultural events that support health and aging.”