Professor Luke O'Neill has advised people to listen to music to help boost their immunity and stave off diseases such as Alzheimer's.
The Trinity College immunologist explained that listening to music creates virus busting antibodies. And Prof O'Neill, who is a keen musician himself, also advised people to join choirs to boost mental health.
"There's loads of studies on being in a choir is hugely beneficial," he told the Pat Kenny Show on Newstalk. "It's a social thing remember...you're concentrating on the music, you're not worrying about paying your mortgage or whatever it might be.
Read more: Professor Luke O'Neill warns Covid-19 pandemic is 'not over' in grim prediction
"That's very good for your mental health as well. And really nice as well is it staves off decline, in a way.
"There's good studies showing it'll stave off Alzheimer's even if you're in a choir. You're flexing your brain muscle, if you will."
Studies have shown that an antibody called IGA goes up when people are listening to music. These antibodies help to fight bacteria and viruses.
"IGA lines your nose, it's in your upper airwaves and there's really good evidence that enjoying music boosts IGA levels," said Prof O'Neill. "Cells called natural killer cells...they're virus busting cells, they go up in your circulation when you listen to music."
And he added that this immune boost could be one of the reasons humans are drawn to music.
"There must be some evolutionary reason," he said. "One could well be your immune boost that you get from listening to music.
"The second big one, no doubt, is social bonding - we're a social species. And when we go to a thing like Electric Picnic, massive social bonding is happening. And that's good for us as a species."
READ NEXT:
- Dublin Health workers felt 'suicidal' due to stress of Covid-19 pandemic
- Tony Holohan steps down as Chief Medical Officer after 14 years of service
- Professor Luke O'Neill says it is 'likely' new Omicron vaccine could be given with flu jab
- Professor Luke O'Neill says new Covid-19 vaccine targeting Omicron could be strong enough to last a year
- Professor Luke O'Neill says new Covid-19 vaccination campaign in autumn 'likely'
Sign up for the Dublin Live newsletter to get the latest breaking news straight to your inbox
