According to researchers at the Melbourne Institute of Applied Economic and Social Research, working full time after the age of 40 is too much.
The research, which involved collecting data from 6,500 people, found that doing more than three days a week once you reach the age of 40 can damage your ability to think.
While working up to 30 hours a week is good for the brains of over-40s, if you were to work 60 hours a week your cognitive ability would be worse than that of someone who didn’t work at all.
The survey tested the ability to read words aloud, recite lists of numbers and match letters and numbers in a speed trial.Testing reading is a measure of the ‘knowing’ part of ability, said lead author Prof Colin McKenzie.The other two tests capture fluid intelligence – the ‘thinking’ part of ability that includes memory, abstract reasoning and executive reasoning.
‘In all three cases (cognitive tests) around 25 to 30 hours of work per week will maximize your cognitive skill. And going for less hours or more hours reduces your cognitive skills.’
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