As the number of adults in the United States over age sixty-five continues to rise, it’s become more important to help these seniors stay healthy. Neuroscientist Julene Johnson of the University of California, San Francisco says that aside from the typical approaches of eating right, sleeping well, and exercising regularly, singing in a choir could also have positive health benefits.

"It requires attention as you pay attention to the choir conductor. And of course singing involves articulation and language. And so it’s possible that singing in a choir will help engage those memory networks of the brain, but also more executive function."

Johnson says that the social and physical aspects of singing in a choir may also contribute to better overall health. If the results from her study are positive, she hopes that it could make creative arts more available for older adults.

"We hope that it could change some policy in terms of making the arts more available for older adults, or in general through the lifespan."