Having an active job that keeps your mind busy is a good way to keep dementia at bay. The opposite may make you more susceptible to it.

Your mind is not a muscle, but in some ways, it behaves like one. You can train it and keep it active and that helps keep problems like dementia at bay. According to a new study, that also applies to the work place. If you work your brain hard at your job, that’s good news. But if you’re constantly dealing with repetitive, unchallenging tasks, that may bring a higher risk of cognitive impairment.

We spend a lot of time at work. An average of 8 hours a day, five days a week — around a quarter of our working lives is spent at the workplace. That’s bound to have an impact on our health as well, but most of us underestimate that impact.

In a new study on over 7,000 Norwegians working 305 different types of jobs, researchers measured how much intellectual effort at work is linked to the later onset of dementia. They found that those who had the least mentally demanding jobs were 66% more likely to develop mild cognitive impairment and 31% more likely to develop dementia after the age of 70 compared to those in the most mentally challenging jobs.

Jobs like teaching or university lecturing were among the most stimulating, while those that involved roadwork or delivering the post were among the least stimulating.

Keep your mind active

Dementia is not a singular disease. It’s a broad term used to describe a decline in cognitive function that interferes with daily life and activities — a decline that goes beyond what might be expected from normal aging.

What we call dementia encompasses many symptoms and conditions, primarily characterized by memory loss, problems with reasoning and communication, changes in mood and behavior, and a gradual loss of skills needed to carry out daily activities. These symptoms occur when the brain is damaged by diseases, including Alzheimer’s disease and stroke.

Globally, dementia affects a significant portion of the elderly population, with incidence rates increasing with age. According to the World Health Organization, around 55 million people worldwide are living with dementia, and there are nearly 10 million new cases every year. The incidence of dementia varies by region, age group, and gender, but it is generally more common among older adults.

Although there are many things we don’t yet understand about dementia, we’ve seen some things that seem to be effective against it.

Several studies have found that education appears to have a protective effect against dementia. Essentially, higher educational attainment is associated with a reduced risk of developing dementia later in life. This could be attributed to a concept called cognitive reserve.

The theory of cognitive reserve suggests that education and engaging in mentally stimulating activities help to build up a “reserve” of neural connections. This makes the brain more resilient and able to compensate for damage incurred by dementia-related diseases. However, another hypothesis is that people with a higher degree of education tend to work more challenging jobs. As a result, they keep their minds active and protect themselves from dementia.

In the new study, researchers found evidence for a bit of both.

Use it or lose it, and start early

Around 60% of the protective effect in people who did mentally stimulating jobs can be tied back to education. But the rest appears to be the job itself — how you use your brain at work. This can also fit in with the cognitive reserve idea: you’re continuing to build up your cognitive reserve day by day, bit by bit.

This is all the more important because researchers found that people who started work in less stimulating jobs tend to remain in them, as did people who started off in challenging jobs. In fact, it’s this tendency to stay in the same type of job (in regards to mental challenge) that facilitated this study in the first place. If people changed their job type all the time, it would be much harder to differentiate between the observed effects.

So, moving into a challenging job early on can set the stage for a cognitively active work life. But what really matters against dementia, the study authors say, is to stay cognitively stimulated as you age.

“People with a history of cognitively stimulating occupations during their 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s had a lower risk of mild cognitive impairment and dementia older than 70 years, highlighting the importance of occupational cognitive stimulation during midlife for maintaining cognitive function in old age. Further research is required to pinpoint the specific occupational cognitive demands that are most advantageous for maintaining later-life cognitive function.”

Diet and a healthy lifestyle also help

It’s not just the cognitive aspect. Studies have shown that a healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle can also significantly contribute to reducing the risk of developing dementia. Regular physical activity, a balanced diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and avoiding smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can all support brain health.

Moreover, social engagement and maintaining strong relationships with friends and family can help preserve cognitive function. Social interactions help to stimulate the brain and may ward off the cognitive decline associated with dementia. Therefore, an active social life can be just as important as an active professional life in protecting against cognitive impairment.

Nevertheless, the findings from this recent study are an important reminder. It’s crucial to stay intellectually stimulated across all stages of life. The brain may not be a muscle but it certainly benefits from ‘exercise’. The more we engage our minds, whether through education, work, or leisure activities, the better equipped we may be to fend off diseases like dementia.