A study from France suggests that older people may want to consider delaying retirement to keep their brains sharper. Data presented at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference in Boston this week revealed that for each year retirement is delayed, dementia was diminished by 3.2 percent.
Over 400,000 French workers were involved in the study. The average age of the participants was 74. Typically, they had retired at an average age of 62. If someone delayed retirement until 65, however, the research predicts they would have diminished their likelihood of developing dementia by 15 percent compared to those who retired at age 60.
The researchers ruled out the possibility that mental decline might have led to early retirement and concluded that work might improve cognition in part through physical activity, mental stimulation and social interaction.
[Alzheimer’s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2013. Oral Presentation: O1-05-05. Presented July 15, 2013]
