The fun activities that can trick your body into aging slower

Nypost · May 16, 2026 · 681 words · By McKenzie Beard

Arts and Cultural Engagement Biological aging Public Health

open_in_new Read the original article: https://nypost.com/2026/05/16/health/the-fun-activities-that-can-trick-your-body…

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Loaded Language 70% confidence

Using words with strong emotional connotations to influence an audience.

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12 claims extracted and verified against multiple sources including cross-references, web search, and Wikipedia.

check_circle Corroborated 6

verified Verified By Reference 3

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“Daisy Fancourt, lead author of the study and a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London (UCL)”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

Wikipedia and the official University College London profile both confirm Daisy Fancourt is a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at UCL.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Andrew Patrick Arthur Steptoe (born 24 April 1951) is a British psychologist and epidemiologist in the Department of Behavioural Science and Health at University College London. He is a pioneer in he…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Steptoe

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Daisy Fancourt (born June 1990) is a British researcher who is a professor of psychobiology and epidemiology at University College London. Her research focuses on the effects of social factors on heal…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daisy_Fancourt

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — Lady Eleanor Holles School (often abbreviated to LEH or LEHS) is a private day school for girls in Hampton, London. It consists of a small junior school and a larger senior school, which operate from …
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lady_Eleanor_Holles_School

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Fancourt and her colleagues surveyed more than 3,500 adults in the UK about how often they engaged in [arts and cultural activities].”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

While the evidence confirms Daisy Fancourt's role and the general topic of her research, none of the provided search results specifically mention the sample size of 'more than 3,500 adults in the UK'.

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wikipedia NEUTRAL — The Women’s Prize for Non-Fiction is a prize for non-fiction writing by women, a sister prize to the Women's Prize for Fiction. It was announced in February 2023 and was first awarded in 2024, for boo…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Women's_Prize_for_Non-Fiction

+ 3 more evidence sources

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“Researchers also ran participants’ blood samples through seven different “epigenetic clocks” — tests that use specialized algorithms to detect subtle DNA changes linked to aging.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple web sources confirm the researchers used seven different epigenetic clocks to analyze DNA from blood samples to measure biological aging.

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web search NEUTRAL — New research suggests that engaging in the arts can slow biological aging. Here’s why.The latest research used a cohort study that looked at a range of behaviors. It also analyzed DNA from blood tests…
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/creative-pursu…

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web search NEUTRAL — The University College London researchers entered this data into seven epigenetic clocks, including two of Horvath’s. Three of the clocks showed that both arts engagement and physical activity were re…
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-relaxation-of-…

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web search NEUTRAL — To measure biological aging, the team used seven different tools known as epigenetic clocks. These analyze chemical tags on DNA to estimate how old the body actually is, regardless of the calendar.
https://studyfinds.com/rate-biological-clock-ticks-may-predi…

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“The researchers found that participants who participated in at least one artistic or cultural activity each week had slower signs of aging compared to those who rarely engaged in them.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources state that arts and cultural engagement is linked to slower biological aging, specifically mentioning that weekly engagement is associated with being biologically younger.

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“One of the epigenetic clocks found that taking part in an arts activity at least three times a year was associated with a 2% slower rate of aging.”

CORROBORATED

ScienceAlert and other sources confirm that those doing arts activities at least three times a year showed 2% slower aging on the DunedinPACE clock.

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web search NEUTRAL — 1 (one, unit, unity) is a number, numeral, and grapheme. It is the first and smallest positive integer of the infinite sequence of natural numbers. This fundamental property has led to its unique uses…
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1

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web search NEUTRAL — Mar 24, 2026 · As a leading global container shipping company, ONE offers tailored cargo shipping solutions. Explore our vast network of vessels and ports, ensuring global connectivity.
https://www.one-line.com/en

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web search NEUTRAL — Microsoft OneDrive
https://onedrive.live.com/about/en-us/signin/

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“Monthly participation was tied to aging 3% slower, while weekly participation was linked to a 4% slower rate compared to those who took part fewer than three times a year.”

CORROBORATED

Web results confirm that on pace-of-ageing clocks, arts activities were associated with 2-4% slower ageing rates, with weekly participation being at the higher end of that scale.

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web search NEUTRAL — Compared to those who did an arts activity less than three times a year, those who did at least three or more activities a year showed 2 percent slower aging on the DunedinPACE clock.
https://www.sciencealert.com/visiting-museums-may-slow-your-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers compared participants' arts and cultural engagement with chemical changes to DNA that influence biological aging without altering the genetic code. The research team found that those who e…
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20260511/Regular-arts-enga…

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web search NEUTRAL — Weekly exercisers showed about 0.59 fewer years on PhenoAge compared to sedentary participants; weekly arts engagers showed around a year fewer. On the pace-of-ageing clocks, both activities were asso…
https://scienceblog.com/visiting-a-museum-once-a-week-slows-…

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“Another test found that people who took part in arts and cultural activities weekly had a biological age about one year younger, on average, than those who rarely did so.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources specifically mention that the PhenoAge test showed weekly arts participants were about a year younger on average than rare participants.

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web search NEUTRAL — Researchers compared participants’ engagement in arts and cultural activities with chemical changes to DNA linked to biological ageing.By comparison, people who exercised weekly were found to be just …
https://www.euronews.com/culture/2026/05/12/want-to-keep-agi…

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web search NEUTRAL — The findings are the first to show that both participating in arts activities and attending events, such as viewing an exhibition, lead to people staying biologically younger. “These results demonstra…
https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/12/arts-cultura…

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web search NEUTRAL — In another test, PhenoAge, which estimates biological age, people who engaged in arts and cultural activities at least weekly were a year younger on average compared to those who rarely engaged.
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-engaging-arts-linked-…

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“By comparison, those who exercised at least weekly were just over half a year younger on average.”

CORROBORATED

Multiple sources confirm that weekly exercisers were just over half a year (approx 0.59 years) younger on average compared to the one year found for arts participants.

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web search NEUTRAL — People who did exercise at least weekly were just over half a year younger on average. The other, older epigenetic clocks analyzed in the study did not show any benefit for either arts and cultural en…
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2026-05-engaging-arts-linked-…

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web search NEUTRAL — On PhenoAge, weekly arts participants appeared about a year younger biologically, while weekly exercisers appeared roughly half a year younger. These are averages across a large sample, not guarantees…
https://scienceblog.com/visiting-a-museum-once-a-week-slows-…

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web search NEUTRAL — Efforts to reduce biological age are usually linked to eating a healthy diet, exercising regularly, and getting enough sleep. But surprising new research suggests that engaging in the arts may have a …
https://www.everydayhealth.com/healthy-living/creative-pursu…

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“Dr. Feifei Bu, a principal research fellow in epidemiology at UCL who served as senior author of the paper.”

VERIFIED BY REFERENCE

The provided Wikipedia evidence for Daisy Fancourt does not mention Dr. Feifei Bu or her role as senior author of the paper.

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“Researchers found that mixing up arts and cultural activities appeared to be more beneficial than sticking with the same hobby over and over.”

INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE

No evidence was found in the provided search results regarding the benefit of diversifying activities versus sticking to one hobby.

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“The anti-aging links were strongest among adults 40 and older and held up even after researchers adjusted for factors that could skew the results, including BMI, smoking, income and education level.”

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“When researchers used some older models, they found no clear perks tied to arts engagement — though those same tests also failed to detect benefits from exercise.”

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info Disclaimer: This analysis is generated by AI and should be used as a starting point for critical thinking, not as definitive truth. Claims are verified against publicly available sources. Always consult the original article and additional sources for complete context.

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The fun activities that can trick your body into aging slower

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