Early Retirement Can Speed Up The Cognitive Decline That Comes With Age

Early Retirement Can Speed Up The Cognitive Decline That Comes With Age
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Binghamton University economists have shown that taking early retirement may hasten the onset of dementia in old life. Findings from an analysis of data from a novel Chinese pension scheme indicate that engaging in more social activities may reduce the cognitive costs of retiring early.

The new study examined data on public health from a Chinese pension scheme that began in 2009. The program guaranteed participants a steady income upon retirement, which was especially important in rural areas where the elderly poverty rate was high. Researchers had a decade’s worth of data to analyze, allowing them to compare the health and cognitive outcomes of early retirees to a control group of persons who continued working into their 60s. The study found that early retirees’ cognitive abilities declined more rapidly than those of non-retirees in the years following their retirement.

The most perplexing discovery, however, was that even while pension plan members exhibited losses in cognition, they also showed increases in overall health. Those who retired early cut down on their alcohol use, gave up smoking, and improved the quality of their sleep. This surprising discrepancy between physical and mental health, says Plamen Nikolov, one of the project’s primary researchers, reveals that some aspects of retirement seem to especially adversely effect the brain.

Early retirement’s negative impacts on mental and social involvement are more widespread and severe than the program’s positive benefits on certain healthy routines. It’s also possible that the factors that make a difference and determine better health in the elderly are quite different from the factors that make a difference and determine better cognition in younger people. Maintaining meaningful relationships with others may be the single most important element for maintaining cognitive function as we age.

Social isolation proved to be the primary factor connected with accelerated cognitive deterioration among the pension plan members in the research. According to Nikolov, program participants who retired early reported lower levels of social connection and involvement than those of the same age who did not retire early. This provides support for the idea that specific measures may be put in place to lessen the negative effects of early retirement on the brain while yet preserving the positive effects on overall health.


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Anna is an avid blogger with an educational background in medicine and mental health. She is a generalist with many other interests including nutrition, women's health, astronomy and photography. In her free time from work and writing, Anna enjoys nature walks, reading, and listening to jazz and classical music.

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