As we grow older, there is often a worry that our memories will slowly start to deteriorate but a new study has found that if you use your brain more at work, it could have a remarkable effect later in life.
A team of researchers from the American Academy of Neurology studied a sample of 7,000 people working in over 300 occupations to deduce whether there is a link between jobs that involve more cognitive activity, such as critical thinking, and whether a person may develop memory issues.
Study examines the effects of using your brain at work
To carry out their research, the team measured the degree of cognitive stimulation while at work, categorizing jobs into four groups: routine manual, routine cognitive, non-routine analytical, and non-routine interpersonal tasks.
Routine manual tasks involve maintaining control over equipment and carrying out repetitive motions with speed, typical of factory work. Routine cognitive tasks, meanwhile, include areas such as bookkeeping or filing and demand precision and accuracy in repetitive tasks.
Non-routine analytical tasks often involve analyzing information, engaging in creative thinking and interpreting information for other people, such as teaching. Non-routine interpersonal roles involve establishing and maintaining personal relationships as well as motivating others and coaching. These can be found in jobs such as public relations.
The study uncovered that there is indeed a link as researchers found that those who worked in jobs with greater cognitive activity were less likely to suffer from memory problems as they grew older.
“We examined the demands of various jobs and found that cognitive stimulation at work during different stages in life—during your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s—was linked to a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment after the age of 70,” said study author Trine Holt Edwin, MD, PhD, of Norway’s Oslo University Hospital in a news release. “Our findings highlight the value of having a job that requires more complex thinking as a way to possibly maintain memory and thinking in old age.”
The study’s findings paint a fascinating picture
Researchers found that the job with the highest cognitive demands was teaching. Meanwhile, jobs with the least cognitive demands included mail carriers and custodians.
To ascertain their results, researchers asked participants who had reached the age of 70 to complete a series of memory and thinking tests to assess whether they had signs of mild cognitive impairment.
Of those who had worked in jobs with low cognitive demands, 42% were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment. Conversely, of those with higher cognitive demands in their jobs, only 27% were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
When factoring in things like age, sex, education, income and lifestyle factors, the study discovered that those with lower cognitive demands at work had a 66% higher risk of developing memory issues later in life.
“These results indicate that both education and doing work that challenges your brain during your career play a crucial role in lowering the risk of cognitive impairment later in life,” Edwin said. “Further research is required to pinpoint the specific cognitively challenging occupational tasks that are most beneficial for maintaining thinking and memory skills.”
So, if you are worried about your memory fading as you grow older, your best bet is to find a job that gets you thinking and gives your brain a good workout.
