BY National Institute on Aging
Higher occupational work complexity is associated with better cognition later in life, according to two recent NIA-funded studies published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Woman listens as man describes material on a laptop
Previous research has indicated that people with complex jobs have better cognitive function as they age and a lower risk of dementia. Both of the two new studies built on these findings by exploring multiple forms of occupational complexity and cognitive outcomes. Occupational complexity with “data, people, and things” was classified using the Dictionary of Occupational Titles, which catalogs the type of work activities involved in different occupations. Examples of jobs with high complexity in each of these areas include a data analyst, a social worker, and a watch repairman, respectively. Education, self-reported as the highest level of education completed, was statistically accounted for as it could indicate prior cognitive abilities before entering the workforce
