We might not realise it, but our working lives play a particularly key role in how resilient and intact our brains will be in later life.
This makes sense given that the average employee spends approximately eight hours a day at work and remains in the workforce for about 40 years. During this time between our mid-twenties and mid-sixties, we know that the brain often undergoes significant changes, many of which can predispose us to cognitive decline and dementia.
“We’ve often underestimated the importance of your profession on your health and your brain health in particular,” says Hugo Spiers, a professor of cognitive neuroscience at University College London.
But cognitive decline isn’t necessarily inevitable. Researchers like Spiers are increasingly discovering that your job can either support or harm your brain. As we’ll see, this depends on whether your career is actively stimulating your mind and body in various beneficial ways or forcing you to endure stresses which harm you.
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