Looking for the ideal man? Try at the nearest museum or art gallery, suggest researchers. That is because men who regularly indulge in cultural activities are likely to be in better shape, both mentally and physically, than those who do not, according to a study which involved 51,000 people.
Going to the theatre and concerts results in a range of benefits for men, including less depression and anxiety. Women also benefit, but not to the same degree, the largest study of its kind has claimed.
The research found the biggest beneficiaries were men who were interested in watching and looking at culture rather than actively participating in it themselves, the Daily Mail newspaper reported.
For their study, researchers assessed the state of health, satisfaction with life, anxiety and depression levels of volunteers using questionnaires.
They were asked questions about “receptive” cultural activities, including how often in the past six months they had been to a museum or art exhibition, a concert/play/film, a church/chapel or sporting event.
They were also asked about “creative” cultural activities including club meetings, actively taking part in music, singing or theatre.
Overall, cultural activities were significantly associated with good health and satisfaction with life. The more often people visited cultural places or were creative themselves, the more benefits were seen.
But the results showed men in particular gained the most benefits from receptive cultural activities, whereas women appeared to gain more from creative activities. Moreover it found taking part in “receptive” activities three times a month improved all aspects of health for men.