Forty-five men and 85 women participated in the study. Slightly more than one-half of the participants in each group were married. In this study hGH levels increased dramatically in older students who were taking group keyboard lessons. This decrease in anxiety was evident early on and appeared after only 10 weeks of lessons, remaining after 20 weeks of lessons. Decreased anxiety is related to improvement in cognitive performance, as well as to enhancement of learning, decision-making, and feelings of well being.
Depression is a major problem in the aging population.
With decreased depression scores, people report a brighter mood. On the UCLA Loneliness Scale, the loneliness scores of the keyboard group decreased across the span of the lessons, while the control group scores stayed the same. This, according to Dr. Tims, indicates that the keyboard students changed their perception of loneliness, or sense of being alone. Interestingly, the Lubben Social Support scores did not change. This indicates again the positive effects of the keyboard lessons since the Social Support scores measure external support, such as family and significant other support, whereas the Loneliness scale measures internal perception of support.