Saoirse Anton

Stepping out my front door early on Wednesday morning to head to work, I found myself surrounded by swarms of shiny new lycra-clad runners, joggers and powerwalkers. As waves of good intentions washed past me, I thought of the myriad new year’s resolutions that were made over the last few weeks. The promises to better ourselves by budgeting, by eating fewer crisps, by reading more, prepping meals, learning new skills and putting on our runners, not just to pop out to the shops, but to actually run. I also thought of how little we enjoy enacting so many of our resolutions. In pursuit of a longer, better life, we drag ourselves out of bed on soggy January mornings to exercise, fret over tracking every penny we spend, and gaze sadly at the tempting grin of Mr Tayto in the newsagent’s. I’m not knocking anyone who does follow their resolutions with successful aplomb, not at all. I’m more than impressed by those people, because I am certainly not one of them. I have never been one to do something I don’t enjoy for the sake of self-improvement.

However, the University of London recently came to the rescue with a new study that provided me with the perfect new year’s resolution. Researchers from the university have found something that makes us live longer, no lycra or lettuce required. That something? The Arts.

The study notes that people over the age of fifty who engage with the arts on a regular basis had a 31% lower risk of dying in the 14 years following the initial study than those who did not. Even while taking other factors, like wealth, overall health and mental wellbeing into account, it was shown that visiting museums, going to the theatre, listening to live music and other arts activities significantly improved the life expectancy of participants.

Now that is a resolution I can get behind.  

Is it any surprise that enjoying the arts can add years onto our lives? There is a quote from Bertolt Brecht that I always have around me, whether written on the front of a notebook, scribbled on a post-it stuck to my desk or, as it currently is, painted onto an old piece of cardboard and pinned to my wall.

“Every art contributes to the greatest art of all, the art of living.”

Like James Oppenheim’s poem says, give us bread but give us roses. In their way, the arts are an essential. From cave paintings to conceptual art, we have always known their power in making our lives better.

So if you aren’t out jogging at 7am, drinking a healthily green smoothie for lunch, or meditating every evening, don’t worry. Join me in resolving to actively extend our lifespans by enjoying ourselves in theatres, galleries and museums. Pop along to The New Theatre to see B(l)oom, written by Will Dunleavy and produced by the newly established company, tasteinyourmouth, take in some Bold Moves by Ballet Ireland, or listen in as author Anne Enright talks to the Irish Times Women’s Podcast.

As Kurt Vonnegut once wrote about the arts:

“They are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven’s sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possible can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”