There is an opinion that mental work helps to keep the sharpness of the mind as you age..

Now Scottish scientists have proven that people who are involved in complex work (lawyers, social workers, architects, teachers, surgeons) have a greater chance of maintaining a good memory in old age..

Researchers at Heriot-Watt University and the Center for Cognitive Aging and Cognitive Epidemiology in Scotland, led by Dr Alan Gow, have published their findings in the journal Neurology..

For this study, the researchers analyzed a large group of 1,066 older Scots, with an average age of 70.. Each participant passed a series of intelligence tests. Scientists paid special attention to memory, information processing speed and general thinking abilities.. The team also took into account the results of IQ tests, which they passed at the age of 11.. Participants talked about their careers.

Using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, the researchers assigned each participant a certain number of points depending on the category of difficulty of their work within three groups: work with people, work with information and work with objects..

Scientists explain that each of these three groups has its own particularly difficult professions.. If you work with people, then the work of a lawyer, surgeon or social worker can be considered difficult.. The seller, for example, will be the simpler job from this group.

Among the professions associated with information, scientists called the work of an architect, musician, graphic designer the most difficult.. They assigned a low level of difficulty in this group to a telephone operator, typist, etc..

Hard work has a positive effect on mental abilities.

Researchers say participants who were involved in more complex work involving people and information (including teachers and managers) scored 1-2% better on average on cognitive tests..

This relationship appears to hold true after adding other factors, including smoking, IQ at age 11, years in college, and environmental characteristics into the analysis..

Commenting on the results, Dr. Gow says: “These results suggest that a work environment that is more stimulating to a person’s thinking helps to better retain intelligence even after retirement.. Our data helped identify professions that best preserve a person’s memory and thinking abilities.”.

Speaking about the mechanisms of this connection, Dr. Gow focuses on two theories proposed in the past.. One of them is that a stimulating work environment can increase “cognitive reserve”, that is, the ability of the brain to function effectively during damage and senile involution.. Another theory is that people with higher IQs are simply more likely to be able to do complex work..

According to the Scottish researchers, the results support both theories: “A child’s IQ at 11 years of age explains about 50% of the variability in intelligence in the future, but not everything depends on it.. While it is true that people with high IQs are more likely to choose more challenging and higher-paying jobs, there are also some positive effects of the job itself on the aging brain.”.

And more about the features of the work.

Recently, an interesting article appeared in the medical publication MNT, the authors of which argued that shift work (day and night shifts) for 10 years or more can disrupt the employee's intelligence.

medbe. en.