Science says having a challenging job could protect you from cognitive decline
Reuters
That's according to new research, which suggests jobs that involve certain kinds of challenging mental tasks can boost memory and thinking years down the road.
The study, led by Francisca Then, Ph.D., at the University of Leipzig in Germany, involved about 1,000 participants over age 75. Every 1.5 years for eight years, the researchers tested the participants' memory and cognitive ability.
They also asked participants about their professional histories and categorized the work they did as either executive, verbal, or fluid tasks. Executive tasks involve things like developing strategies and resolving conflicts. Verbal tasks involve evaluating and interpreting information. Fluid tasks involve selective attention and analyzing data.
As it turns out, people whose jobs entailed the highest rates in all three types of tasks scored the highest on the tests and had the slowest rate of cognitive decline. In particular, work that involved executive tasks seemed to be the most protective against cognitive decline.
Previous research has found that education is beneficial for your mental health. But Then told Psychology Today that her research "suggests that the type of work you do throughout your career may have even more significance on your brain health than your education does."
Of course, this study doesn't necessarily prove that your work environment changes your cognitive functioning - it's also possible that people with greater cognitive ability choose more mentally taxing jobs to begin with.
And this study hardly implies that feeling frazzled every day is healthy. It's more about being challenged, so that you're constantly using your brain and feeling intellectually stimulated.
- 2 states where home prices are falling because there are too many houses and not enough buyers
- US buys 81 Soviet-era combat aircraft from Russia's ally costing on average less than $20,000 each, report says
- A couple accidentally shipped their cat in an Amazon return package. It arrived safely 6 days later, hundreds of miles away.
- 9 health benefits of drinking sugarcane juice in summer
- 10 benefits of incorporating almond oil into your daily diet
- From heart health to detoxification: 10 reasons to eat beetroot
- Why did a NASA spacecraft suddenly start talking gibberish after more than 45 years of operation? What fixed it?
- ICICI Bank shares climb nearly 5% after Q4 earnings; mcap soars by ₹36,555.4 crore
- Nothing Phone (2a) blue edition launched
- JNK India IPO allotment date
- JioCinema New Plans
- Realme Narzo 70 Launched
- Apple Let Loose event
- Elon Musk Apology
- RIL cash flows
- Charlie Munger
- Feedbank IPO allotment
- Tata IPO allotment
- Most generous retirement plans
- Broadcom lays off
- Cibil Score vs Cibil Report
- Birla and Bajaj in top Richest
- Nestle Sept 2023 report
- India Equity Market