While early retirement may seem like an appealing and ideal option for hard-working professionals and breadwinners, there are actually cognitive consequences that come along with this drastic decision. Yahoo! reports that, for one, early retirement leads to a massive IQ drop.

Early Retirement and Cognition

This was discovered through a study published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization. According to the research performed by New York's Binghamton University faculty, early retirement can accelerate the decline of cognition in the elderly.

The study discovered that accessing retirement plans may have a vital role in mental performance plummeting in the elderly. Yahoo! reports that the consequences became apparent within four years of retirement. The subjects of the study specifically showed that their general intelligence dropped by 1.7%.

Neuroscience News reports that the biggest indicator of cognitive decline was delays in recall. This specific measure is seen to have wide implications across various neurobiological studies as a vital dementia predictor.

Other than this, the longer the duration of not working, the worse the decline in cognition.

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Why Does Early Retirement Cause Cognition to Plummet?

According to the study, mental decline plummeted due to a decrease in social activity and engagement, mental fitness activity, and volunteering.

Plamen Nikolov, study author and economics assistant professor, notes how the participants show significantly reduced levels of social engagement. More specifically, they had remarkably lower social interaction and volunteering rates. He notes that their findings show that heightened social isolation is linked to the speedy decline of cognition in the elderly.

Though retirement was linked to a decline in mental abilities, the general health of the participants increased. This was because their stress levels got reduced, their diets and sleep got better, their illness levels reduced, or their nutrition became better. Other than this, the participants also reported that they consumed less alcohol compared to the past year.

While these are positive consequences, the authors still note that such health benefits do not offset the negative impacts that the brain experiences.

Nikolov notes how connectedness and social engagement could singularly be the strongest factors for cognitive performance among the aging.

This recent study mirrors a 2020 study by the American Psychological Association. This previous study reported that adults, especially women, who were middle-aged and older may have higher cognitive decline risks as their age increases when they stop engaging in hard activities and goals during retirement.

Yet another 2017 research reported that vital cognitive functions plummeted for almost 3,500 individuals when comparisons between before and after retirement were made. The study notes how verbal memory decreased 38% faster following retirement than prior to retirement.

Nikolov notes how there are vital benefits that come with retirement. He further notes, however, that such benefits entail costs. Impaired cognition among the aging, even if such impairments are not seriously debilitating, leads to quality of life losses and negatively impacts one's welfare.

Yahoo! notes that such findings do not suggest that people should not retire. However, even in retirement, it is important to maintain sharpness.

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