We all want our brains to stay sharp and resilient as we age. 

Yet, aging often brings changes in both structure and function that can dull the mind’s edge. Our brains shrink, memory declines, and neuroplasticity—the process by which we form new neural connections—is less effective. But none of these means that brain aging is inevitable—the trajectory is somewhat under our control.

One of the most fascinating ideas in neuroscience right now is the concept of the brain age gap.

It’s similar to the idea of biological versus chronological age: your brain might be "younger" or "older" than your actual years. A lower (negative) brain age gap means your brain looks and functions younger than expected, while a higher (positive) gap signals accelerated brain aging.

We already know some of the key habits that protect and preserve brain health—aerobic (preferably high-intensity) exercise, omega-3-rich diets, strong social ties, and minimizing exposure to processed foods, alcohol, and toxins like microplastics. But a growing body of research points to another powerful, and perhaps more surprising, influence—creativity.

A new study suggests that engaging in creative and skill-based pursuits, like dancing, playing an instrument, or even gaming, may literally make the brain younger. Experts in these creative domains tended to have younger brain ages than non-experts, and learning new skills could actively reduce one's brain age gap. The effects seemed to follow a gradient: long-term mastery offered the biggest benefits, while short-term learning still conferred measurable gains.

Underlying these changes are the brain’s remarkable plasticity mechanisms—the processes that allow us to adapt, learn, and form new neural connections. In other words, creativity may enrich our lives and keep the brain’s clock running a little slower.

Creative Brains are Younger Brains

Across every creative domain, the experts consistently showed younger brains than their non-expert counterparts, with an average difference of nearly six years. And within each of the domains, experts also had lower brain age gaps:

• Tango dancers: –7.1 years

• Musicians: –5.3 years

• Visual artists: –6.2 years

• Gamers: –4.1 years

To explore how creativity influences the brain’s aging process, researchers used machine learning and electrical brain activity from more than 1,200 participants to develop a model of brain aging.[1] They then calculated each participant’s brain age gap, the measure of whether the brain is aging faster or slower than expected, in a subset of 232 individuals who varied in their level of creative expertise. These participants included expert and non-expert tango dancers, musicians, visual artists, and video game players. What constitutes an "expert" in this sense?

Tango dancers had an average of 57 months of formal tango instruction; musicians had more than 13 years of musical experience; artists had an average of 4.5 years of university-level art education; and gamers played an average of 18 hours of video games (i.e., Starcraft II) per week and were actively ranked in one of the top video gaming leagues.

How to Enhance Neuroplasticity

Most (but not all) human data point to a gradual decline in circulating BDNF with age, and higher BDNF later in life generally tracks with better brain outcomes, while lower levels are associated with smaller brain volumes and poorer memory.[2] A bigger question is why BDNF declines, but we could speculate that less engagement in creative activities and a general trend to reduce time spent learning valuable skills could play a role here! 

Returning to creativity. Is there evidence that creative activities such as those described above enhance BDNF? If so, this could explain why the physical process of doing them (on the road to expertise) leads to a younger, more efficient brain. Dance and other movement-based arts show small increases in BDNF alongside some cognitive and mood benefits,[3] and higher plasma BDNF levels have been reported in musicians compared to non-musicians.[4] Even video gaming—or rather, exergaming (which combines video games with light physical activity)—can raise BDNF levels alongside cognitive gains after a short period of training.[5] So, while movement appears to be the main driver of BDNF enhancements, skill learning and multisensory engagement may add some small, experience-dependent BDNF signals over time.

What does reliably increase BDNF though are four things: exercise, heat stress, omega-3s, and fasting/ketones.

• Exercise is the most reliable BDNF booster: a single session of aerobic exercise increases BDNF and chronic training raises resting BDNF levels. Intensity and duration matter, with harder and longer efforts producing larger acute bumps due to elevated lactate production, which acts as a messenger to trigger BDNF expression in the hippocampus.[6]

• The omega-3s raise BDNF levels after weeks of supplementation: 1–1.5 grams or more per day of combined EPA and DHA increases (serum) BDNF levels after about 10 or more weeks of supplementation, driven by the effects of DHA on neuronal membranes and synaptic signaling, which creates a biochemical environment that favors plasticity.[7]

• Heat exposure—via hot water immersion or sauna—also reliably elevates BDNF: The rise in core temperature, sympathetic activation, increased blood flow, and heat-shock protein signaling provide a hormetic stimulus that boosts BDNF levels acutely (20 minutes or more at 176–194 degrees Fahrenheit in a sauna or 108 degrees Fahrenheit if you're using hot water) and raises BDNF chronically when the heat exposure is repeated several days per week.[8]

• Intermittent metabolic switching, achieved via fasting or using exogenous ketones, can elevate levels of the ketone body beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB) in the body, which acts as a signaling molecule that increases BDNF expression in the brain (this also partially explains why exercise increases BDNF levels).

Final Thoughts

This study reminds us that the environments we cultivate for our brains matter just as much as the ones we create for our bodies (even though we might give the former much less attention). We carefully plan our food, track our workouts, and nurture our social relationships, yet we often overlook how our creative habits shape the brain over time.

Hobbies are sometimes dismissed as indulgences or distractions, things to fill the gaps between “real” responsibilities. But I think it's time to reframe them as something far more meaningful: acts of brain maintenance. Whether it's painting, playing music, dancing, or even gaming, creative engagement appears to keep our neural networks young, and the longer we do it (and the better at it we become), the stronger the effect.

Expertise, of course, takes time. Just as you can’t build cardiovascular fitness with a single Norwegian 4x4 workout, you can’t master a creative skill overnight. But it’s that very effort—the sustained, challenging, often frustrating work of getting better at something—that reshapes the brain in lasting ways.

The encouraging news is that you don’t need to be a professional dancer, musician, or artist to see benefits. According to this study, the brain doesn’t care what you practice, only that you practice. Deep engagement in any domain can rewire the brain toward youthfulness.

So find something you love—a skill, a craft, a game, a passion project—and give it years of deliberate attention. Your brain will thank you for the creativity.

Warm regards

— Rhonda and the FoundMyFitness team