Mentally challenging work might actually be really good for you
Mentally challenging work, despite feeling draining at the time, could help to better protect people from memory and cognitive decline in old age, according to a new study. Published in Neurology, the research suggests that workers, who are required to speak more, develop strategies, manage others, and resolve conflict may be better off than their colleagues who do less of the same activities.
Author study, Francisca Then, from Germany’s University of Leipzig explains, “Our study is important because it suggests that the type of work you do throughout your career may have even more significance on your brain health than your education does. Education is a well-known factor that influences dementia risk.”
It has been shown in the past that, just like education, staying mentally active with puzzles and games, as well as maintaining a healthy social life may delay dementia’s onset, and reduce mental decline.
The study assessed 1,054 individuals aged 75 or older from the Leipzig Longitudinal Study of the Aged, which is a representative population-based cohort study. Each of the study’s participants underwent cognitive testing every 18 months to evaluate their memory and thinking abilities for eight years in total. They were also asked to discuss their work history, categorising the types of tasks they did into one of three groups:
- Executive tasks, like conflict resolution, or strategy development
- Verbal tasks, such as interpreting and evaluating information
- Fluid tasks, like data analysis
The research showed that participants who had performed tasks at the highest level of all three categories during their careers scored highest on the memory and thinking evaluation. They were also found to have the slowest rate of cognitive decline over the eight-year study.
The study’s authors concluded that, “The results suggest that a professional life enriched with work tasks stimulating verbal intelligence and executive functions may help to sustain a good cognitive functioning in old age.”
Source: Medical News Today
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