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May 14 - Demanding Jobs May Pay Cognitive
Dividends in Retirement
Having an intellectually demanding job that
nurtures thinking abilities may result in better cognitive
abilities during retirement, regardless of intelligence, education
level, or age, a Duke University Medical Center study suggests.
"Our society is expected to live and
work longer than previous generations, so we sought to understand
how an individual's occupation affected cognition later in
life," study author Guy Potter, an assistant professor
of psychiatry, said in a prepared statement.
The study included 1,036 male twins who were
given a test to determine their general learning abilities
when they joined the U.S. military in the early 1940s. The
participants had follow-up assessments of their cognitive
status every three or four years after they were in their
60s.
The Duke researchers found that cognitive
benefits associated with intellectually demanding jobs were
greatest among people who had lower scores on intelligence
tests in their youth, while physically demanding work was
associated with a decrease in cognitive performance later
in life.
The study was published in a recent issue
of Neurology.
"Although the intellectual and physical
demands of an individual's job are not the largest factors
influencing cognitive performance as we age, this study illustrates
how a number of smaller influences like these can accumulate
over the life span to have a positive or negative effect on
brain health in later life," Potter said. "Unlike
age or intellect, job demands are something that an individual
can potentially modify to optimize their cognitive reserve."
"Most of us spend a significant portion
of our adult life at work, and we may actually be benefiting
from the intellectual demands placed upon us," he added.
Potter and his colleagues made special
mention about the finding that manual labor may be associated
with poorer cognitive performance later in life.
"Physical exertion has health benefits
in its own right. It is important for people to find a place
for both mental and physical activity in their lives, and
for researchers to offer insights about how this can best
be achieved," Potter said.
Source: Duke University
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