With summer fully underway, that means it’s time for music festivals and other outdoor events featuring music.
And one major player in live music venues in the U.K. wants you to know if you frequent its establishments (or other live music performances) you’ll not only feel better, you’ll live longer.
U.K.-based mobile network operator O2, which is a partner in a company that operates live music venues throughout Great Britain, commissioned Patrick Fagan, an expert in behavioral science and associate lecturer at Goldsmiths University, to conduct the study.
His findings: Attending a live music gig once a fortnight for only 20 minutes increases a person’s well-being by 21% and can add up to nine years to your life.
Meanwhile, well-being only increases by 10% from yoga and 7% from dog walking.
“We all know just how good it is seeing your favorite band or artist live, but now we have the proof,” said Nina Bibby, chief marketing officer for O2, which sponsors more than 350 music venues hosting more than 5,000 live shows a year across the U.K.
But just one concert a year won’t do the trick; making it a regular, twice-a-month habit is the key to a greater well-being, Fagan said.
The study offered no comment on whether attending gigs at O2 venues had a healthier effect than others.
