Could Music Be the Secret to Fighting Off Dementia?

A new study by researchers at the University of Exeter claims to have discovered that performing a musical instrument could potentially help fight off dementia!

Here is a link to one such article about the study: Music could be the secret to fighting off dementia, study says: ‘Profound impact’

Can this actually be true, and if so, to what degree, and at what age would one have to start playing? Could this apply to the elderly beginning music lessons? And how much would one have to play in order to see any benefits? These are the types of questions into which researchers are now probing further. Regardless of the degree of the effectiveness of such engagement with music, psychiatrists, neurologists, and other medical professionals have known for decades that any type of engagement with music is beneficial for the brain, if not for the soul. But what's fascinating about such new studies is the direct impact of music performance with relation to neuroplasticity within the brain and the potential restorative benefits that may exist from music performance. Could this be a reason for people to get unhooked from their phones and social media, even for just a bit each day, just for health benefits, to say nothing of the pure pleasure that one can derive from playing a musical instrument? We know that people are willing to go to exercise, even if it's not their favorite activity, but just to look better or for the health benefits. I'm somewhat skeptical to go so far as to imagine a world wherein people trade in social media in exchange for one hour of music practice or performance each day, but it certainly would be nice and make for a much healthier world, in so many different ways, if more people would engage in music performance of any kind! I hope that my skepticism is wildly off base and that the future holds a greater percentage of people around the world playing instruments and even more so, coming together as a result!