Having a stressful job could prevent dementia, according to a new analysis
Work stress is not as bad for our brains as we often want to believe.
A mentally challenging job could reduce your chances of developing dementia, according to a new analysis.
The harder your brain works at work, the less likely you are to have memory and thinking problems later in life, the study suggests.
The findings contradict the claims of some who attribute much of America’s health crises to overwork — including those who support the four-day workweek initiative launched by Senator Bernie Sanders.
But the new research suggests that jobs that are mentally stimulating but avoid repetition — such as teaching, working in public relations or being a computer programmer — are beneficial.
Meanwhile, road workers and cleaners may be at greater risk.
Researchers looked at 7,000 people and 305 professions in Norway and found that teaching has the highest cognitive demands. They found that the harder your brain works at work, the less likely you are to have memory and thinking problems later in life
As part of the study, a team from Oslo University Hospital in Norway analyzed 7,000 people in 305 different occupations.
They measured the amount of cognitive stimulation participants experienced while working, and divided them into four groups based on their results.
They also measured the extent of routine manual tasks performed, for example repetitive movements during factory work, and the extent of repetitive cognitive tasks such as bookkeeping and filing.
They then recorded the extent of non-repetitive analytical tasks such as creative thinking, the extent of non-routine interpersonal tasks such as coaching, and the extent of non-repetitive cognitive tasks involved in careers such as public relations and computer programming. .
After age 70, participants completed memory and thinking tests to assess whether they had mild cognitive impairment.
Senator Bernie Sanders believes it is long past time for the United States to move away from a 40-hour workweek and adopt a standard 32-hour workweek without cutting workers’ wages.
Analysis found that of those in jobs with the lowest cognitive demands, 42 percent were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
Of those who had jobs with the highest cognitive demands, 27 percent were diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
Overall, the group with the lowest cognitive demands at work had a 66 percent higher risk of mild cognitive impairment compared to the group with the highest cognitive demands.
Author Trine Edwin said: ‘We examined the demands of different jobs and found that cognitive stimulation at work during different stages of life – during your 30s, 40s, 50s and 60s – was associated with a reduced risk of mild cognitive impairment after the age of 30 years. 70.
‘Our findings highlight the value of having a job that requires more complex thinking as a way to potentially preserve memory and thinking in old age.’
The findings have been published in the journal Neurology.