Early retirement could lead to a decline in both memory performance and cognitive abilities, said a recent study published in the Journal of Economic Perspectives.
The study examined survey data from the United States and several European countries, and compared labor force statuses of older adults and their results on memory and cognitive tests. American adults in their 50s and 60s, who generally retire later than their European counterparts in Spain, Italy, and France, performed better on mental tests, the study found.
“Early retirement appears to have a significant negative impact on the cognitive ability of people in their early 60s that is both quantitatively important and causal,” the study concluded. It was co-authored by Susann Rohwedder, a senior economist at the RAND Center for the Study of Aging, and Robert J. Willis, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan.
The paper, titled “Mental Retirement,” posited that adults who retired early ceased to be mentally stimulated by the jobs they left.
“Workers engage in more mental exercise than retirees because work environments provide more cognitively challenging and stimulating environments than do nonwork environments,” the study said. “The prospect of early retirement may bring about a decreased level of mental exercise while still on the job.”
Adults approaching retirement age in the United States have been forced to return to work or put off retirement in recent years after the economic recession wiped out savings and dented welfare payouts. The study noted that the change could be positive for the overall mental aptitude of American seniors.
“During the past decade, older Americans seem to have reversed a century-long trend toward early retirement and have been increasing their labor force participation rates, especially beyond age 65,” the authors wrote. “Our paper suggests that it may also be good news for the cognitive capacities of our aging nation.”
The study examined survey data from the United States and several European countries, and compared labor force statuses of older adults and their results on memory and cognitive tests. American adults in their 50s and 60s, who generally retire later than their European counterparts in Spain, Italy, and France, performed better on mental tests, the study found.
“Early retirement appears to have a significant negative impact on the cognitive ability of people in their early 60s that is both quantitatively important and causal,” the study concluded. It was co-authored by Susann Rohwedder, a senior economist at the RAND Center for the Study of Aging, and Robert J. Willis, Professor of Economics at the University of Michigan.
The paper, titled “Mental Retirement,” posited that adults who retired early ceased to be mentally stimulated by the jobs they left.
“Workers engage in more mental exercise than retirees because work environments provide more cognitively challenging and stimulating environments than do nonwork environments,” the study said. “The prospect of early retirement may bring about a decreased level of mental exercise while still on the job.”
Adults approaching retirement age in the United States have been forced to return to work or put off retirement in recent years after the economic recession wiped out savings and dented welfare payouts. The study noted that the change could be positive for the overall mental aptitude of American seniors.
“During the past decade, older Americans seem to have reversed a century-long trend toward early retirement and have been increasing their labor force participation rates, especially beyond age 65,” the authors wrote. “Our paper suggests that it may also be good news for the cognitive capacities of our aging nation.”
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