We have been letting people know the health benefits of playing an instrument (preferably the banjo) for years. Here is a great video by Anita Collins on Ted Ed that really helps to show this fact.
When you listen to music, multiple areas of your brain become engaged and active. But when you actually play an instrument, that activity becomes more like a full-body brain workout. What's going on? Anita Collins explains the fireworks that go off in musicians' brains when they play, and examines some of the long-term positive effects of this mental workout.
Lesson by Anita Collins, animation by Sharon Colman Graham.