Core Insights - Engaging in creative activities significantly enhances functional connectivity in the brain's most aging-prone areas, thereby delaying brain aging [1][2] - The study utilized brain imaging data from 1,240 participants to create a "brain clock" machine learning model, measuring the gap between brain age and chronological age [1] - Four types of creative activities—tango dancing, music, visual arts, and video gaming—were found to slow brain aging, with professional tango dancers showing an average brain age seven years younger than their actual age [1] Group 1 - The study indicates that creative activities have the most pronounced effect on the parietal cortex, which is crucial for cognitive, motor, and language functions and is highly susceptible to age-related decline [2] - Experienced participants in creative activities exhibited significantly enhanced functional connectivity in the parietal cortex related to motor control, coordination, and rhythm [2] Group 2 - A separate assessment of learning a new creative skill showed that participants learning a strategy-based video game demonstrated greater enhancement in functional connectivity in attention-related brain areas compared to those learning a non-creative game [2] - The findings suggest a correlation between creative activities and brain health, potentially due to the involvement of multiple brain regions, although further research is needed to validate this hypothesis [2]