How to live longer

[barney]

Yes, this story from the Independent does belong in the music chatterbox.

Going to a gig will help you live longer, according to new research.
According to a new study by O2 - which owns some of the largest music venues in the UK - alongside Goldsmith University's Associate Lecturer Patrick Fagan, regularly attending live shows can help expand your lifespan.The study says that 20 minutes at a show "can lead to a 21 percent increase in that feeling of well-being."
Even more research says that going to gigs "directly links high levels of well-being with a lifespan increase of nine years." This means that there could be a connection between attending concerts and how long you live."Our research showcases the profound impact gigs have on feelings of health, happiness and well-being - with fortnightly or regular attendance being the key," Fagan said.To determine the results of the study, test subjects participated in "psychometric testing and heart rate tests" as they did activities that were positive for their health including attending concerts, doing yoga and dog-walking.Results showed that people who attended gigs had an increase of 25 percent in feelings of self worth and closeness to others and a 75 percent increase in mental stimulation.While the study found that Brits preferred going to concerts instead of listening to music at home, music in general has been found to increase happiness.
In 2013, research in Finland determined that "children who took part in singing classes had higher satisfaction rates at school."A study by a team at University of Missouri published research in The Journal of Positive Psychology stating that joyful music had a "significantly positive effect" on good health."Combining all of our findings with O2's research, we arrive at a prescription of a gig a fortnight which could pave the way for almost a decade more years of life," Fagan explained.
It sounds like a live gig should be interspersed with your yoga regimen.
Story ends
Personally, going to rock gig a fortnight would cut my lifespan by years, and my hearing by far more. But opera now...

[Ricordanza]

Interesting language issue. From the context, I assume that the word "gig" refers to a concert or, perhaps more broadly, a show of some kind. Am I correct?

In the USA, the word "gig" generally means a short-term job assignment. It might be musical, such as a band hired for a wedding, or it might be a job of any kind that is temporary.

As for concerts, I go to about 12 concerts per season, so I certainly hope this adds to my life span!

[John F]

That story was highlighted in artsjournal.com, which surveys writings on all the arts in newspapers and magazines.

I'd say it depends on what kind of gig you attend. (A "gig" is a live performance, usually a musical concert.) If it's a rock concert, the blast of overamplified sound may leave you deaf and you could get run over by a truck. I doubt the study paid much attention to classical concerts, opera, and ballet, but if so, then I've earned those extra 9 years and then some.

[maestrob]

I watch live operas and concerts on DVD every week, does that count?

[Lance]

Barney, indeed, a very interesting article. I, too, think of a "gig" as something almost non-classical in its connotation. But I have also heard classical performing artists say they have a "gig" playing chamber concerts here and there. Perhaps the word is interchangeable. For those of us who live in smaller areas who cannot take advantage of concerts in NYC, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago or other large cities, we have to gain our "extra years" listening to the finest music and artists on recordings. If I go a day without listening to some music, it is disappointing and makes one feel we are missing out on something glorious! And, if listening to recordings helps the mind, which I think it does, then perhaps we can gain an extra year or so of life at the end of the line. Anyway, a very interesting article. Thank you!

[John F]

I watch live operas and concerts on DVD every week, does that count?

Well, at least it shouldn't shorten your life...

[maestrob]

I watch live operas and concerts on DVD every week, does that count?

Well, at least it shouldn't shorten your life...

What it does do, frankly, is validate that we are part of a large group that loves and appreciates classical music, aside from the individual emotional response to the music. Times are hard for classical music lovers in NY, especially opera lovers. Since the Great Recession, we have lost NYCO (City Opera), NY Grand Opera (Vincent La Selva), Eve Queler, and DiCapo Opera, all fine quality places for young singers to be discovered.

[lennygoran]

I watch live operas and concerts on DVD every week, does that count?

Brian good gag! Len fleeing

[Belle]

Does it count if you eat all the wrong things and get little exercise? My sisters and some friends are all fitness fanatics - walking vast distances or riding bikes. Some look good, the others gaunt and aged as a result. I have walked long distances in the past and listened to music on my i-Pod in the process, but I presently live inside my own head - and that includes lots of reading, discussion and listening to music. Ergo, the physical exercise has been abandoned. I'm an advocate of 'quality' and not necessarily 'quantity' anyway. My late father always used to say, "nobody wants to live until they're 90 - unless they're 89".