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Munich, Germany – Early retirement is generally something to envy. However, a new study suggests that those who postpone their retirement actually tend to boast greater cognitive and thinking skills.
Researchers at the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science in Germany report that continuing to work longer in life is associated with slower cognitive decline.
More specifically, after analyzing the data provided by the American Health and Retirement Study, the study authors conclude that continuing to work in the workforce until age 67 helps slow cognitive decline and protects against the type of cognitive impairment often associated with Alzheimer’s disease. In particular, these results were maintained regardless of gender, level of education and fields of employment.
In short, the study suggests that continuing to work past retirement age helps keep the brain sharp – or at least not duller.
The dataset used for this research included more than 20,000 Americans aged 55 to 75, all of whom had worked in the workforce at some point between 1996 and 2014.
As the world’s population continues to age, rates of dementia in general are increasing over time. Today, approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from some form of dementia, of which 60 to 70% have Alzheimer’s disease. Unfortunately, this figure is expected to double and possibly even triple over the next few decades. Considering the fact that there is no known cure for Alzheimer’s disease, these findings can prove invaluable in the fight against dementia.
“In this study, we approach retirement and cognitive function from the perspective that they are both approaching the end of a long life path,” study co-author Angelo Lorenti said in a statement. Press. “It starts with a person’s social origins in terms of ethnicity, gender, and social and economic status early in life, continues with educational and work performance and health behaviors, and goes up to closer factors such as partnership status and mental and physical disorders. health. All of these types of factors accumulate and interact throughout life to affect both cognitive function and retirement age.
While retirement is certainly something to look forward to, it is also a stage in life that is often characterized by doing nothing. While all of that rest and relaxation is probably well deserved after decades of punching a scorecard, this job makes a compelling case for staying busy at some level, no matter what stage of life you find yourself in. find.
“We have studied how demographic change interacts with social and labor market dynamics,” concludes Lorenti. “Our study suggests that there may be an unintended unintended consequence of postponing retirement.”
The study is published in SSM – Population health.
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