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Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

studyfinds.org

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Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#191

Post by NotSammyHagar »

sbierwagen wrote: post #104
crooked-v wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Correlation is not causation.

Brain volume by age: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316307676/figure/fi... Various forms of intelligence by age: https://miro.medium.com/max/1038/1*ccb0bgIqgebwJWTdMGMXXQ.pn... If this correlation isn't causation, then I'm not sure what is.

The chart of intelligence vs age is terrifying in a sense, I'm amazed it's so clear. When I was in my 20s working on my phd, it's true I was learning a lot more new things. If I pursue a new phd at age 60, I wonder if it would push my ability up. Nothing I use in my day to day job was hardly invented 30 years ago, I've had to learn everything. I think most people not in fast changing engineering fields don't get that constant mental stimulation.

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#192

Post by mkl »

dickeytk wrote: post #185
um_ya wrote: post #158

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of us see work as the meaning of life. Traveling and doing things just for the experience alone seems kind of meaningless. Great for vacation, but not great for long term goals. Perhaps if you're at a dead end job, then work might feel meaningless, I agree.

Work is the way you contribute back into society. Going to work and doing my job is my way of knowing that I'm giving back into the system that allows me and my family to live. I find it far more fulfilling than anything else. Hobbies I hate. By definition I'm an amateur and I don't perform well. At my job, I get to exercise the skills I'm best at. I can't do any old job though. I have to be able to trace at least a…

> Hobbies I hate. By definition I'm an amateur and I don't perform well.

Depends. If no one else is doing that particular thing, then by definition you're the world expert. It doesn't matter if there are other people who could hypothetically do it better; they're not in the game.

I have a current hobby that most able-bodied technically minded people could do better than me (genetic joint condition), but as far as I can tell I'm accomplishing things no one else has.

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#193

Post by aszantu »

Retirement leads to boredom maybe and thus unhealthy eating habits. The hippocampus seems to be affected by too much insulin and sugar. This said, people in elderly homes in Germany are getting carb-loaded. Low fat, high carb meals and apple juice a lot of them take medications against high cholesterol. they are suffering from all the sugar related illnesses what's the brain made of? Fat and cholesterol...

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#195

Post by waterhouse »

neogodless wrote: post #17

It'd be interesting to better understand the control for this research. The main premise here is that "those receiving pension benefits" (i.e. no longer working) have faster cognitive decline. But is there a correlation between the kind of work you did and receiving a pension? Perhaps the word "pension" means something a bit different here, but in U.S. English, we usually use it to mean a company-sponsored retirement…

Yeah, that was my first question: Is this not just a hopelessly confounded correlational study? I was disappointed that the article didn't seem to talk about this.

Well, at least it links to the paper, so here's a starting point: "In this paper, we estimate the causal effect of the NRPS program on cognition among individuals ages 60 and above. The expansion of the program affected an easily identifiable group, as the policy was introduced only in select areas. Our identification employs a triple difference (DDD) strategy. We exploit the staggered policy implementation between 2009 and 2013 and compare the cognitive outcomes of individuals 60 years and older who live in areas that implemented the NRPS program to the cognitive outcomes of individuals of the same age group who live in areas that did not implement the NRPS program."

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#197

Post by hanniabu »

2muchcoffeeman wrote: post #60
monster_group wrote: post #9

Not only early retirement but any kind of retirement that gets the retiree in a mode that they don't have to try anymore will result in cognitive decline. I am seeing this in my dad who has been retired for ten years now. Throughout his work life he was a sharp hard working banker. Now he uses his age and retirement as an excuse for not trying. Just yesterday he wanted me to order something for him from Amazon. I tol…

I guess this is why you should work less hard and do more to cultivate hobbies. I can’t imagine retiring and doing nothing. So many projects.

So many projects....

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#198

Post by hanniabu »

digaozao wrote: post #170
ericmcer wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My dad always refers to his body in a similar manner to how one would refer to a car, I.E. “too much mileage on me”, “I walked a lot so now my knees are worn out”. I wonder if their generation has a more simplistic view of our bodies as mechanical things.

Sometimes I imagine a future where you van replace parts of your body. A knee, hip or ankle replacement, and a yearly revision after 70 (like a cara), and we could live until 200. Probably this thinking comes from "ghost in the shell" mixed with Asimov's books.

Brand new skin please!

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#199

Post by ChuckMcM »

I suppose this applies to people who think of "retirement" as being sedentary and not challenging your brain. We need a word for what people in my social group who no longer have to collect a paycheck do, which is embark on things that either teach a new skill, have low probability of payback, or are intellectually challenging for the fun of it.

It isn't "work" in that you don't have to put in time at someone else's business and sign over all your work product to them, but it isn't casual leisure either.

Re: Early Retirement May Speed Up Cognitive Decline: Study

#200

Post by PeterStuer »

bcrosby95 wrote: post #115
sbierwagen wrote: post #104

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Brain volume by age: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/316307676/figure/fi... Various forms of intelligence by age: https://miro.medium.com/max/1038/1*ccb0bgIqgebwJWTdMGMXXQ.pn... If this correlation isn't causation, then I'm not sure what is.

Your chart seems to indicate software development related intelligence peaks somewhere between 40-60. Given this, why do software companies like young people so much?

Sadly because hiring people before they wise up to the employee/employer relation is extremely beneficial to the latter.
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