The best way to prevent dementia? Switch to one of these “stimulating” jobs

Dementia is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States. While diet and exercise no doubt have an impact on aging, new research suggests that just switching careers may also help with prevention.

In the study, published in the British medical journal BMJ, researchers found that people with mentally stimulating jobs have a much lower risk of developing cognitive illness later in life than those who do not.

Mentally stimulating jobs are defined as ones that require workers to make decisions and exercise control, as opposed to taking orders. The probability of developing dementia for workers occupying mentally stimulating jobs was 4.8 in 10,000, compared to 7.3 per 10,000 for the low-mental-stimulation group. These results were consistent even after the authors adjusted for factors like age, sex, education, and lifestyle.

Cognitively demanding work appeared to reduce the production of three proteins that compromise brain function over time. And exposure to cognitive stimulation at work “typically lasts considerably longer than cognitively stimulating hobbies,” the authors wrote.

The findings were derived from a large sample of participants from the U.S. and Europe. The average age of the participants was 45.

What are mentally stimulating jobs?

Previously conducted research has shown that mentally stimulating activities like completing puzzles, playing an instrument, and studying mathematics can improve brain function and delay dementia, but only if done routinely.

The participants featured in the BMJ report were followed for 17 years. The ones who regularly completed tasks that required them to use key brain functions saw the most positive outcomes.

One long-running aging study, the Lothian birth cohorts studies (which have been going since 1999 and following the subjects born in 1921 and 1936), compartmentalizes mentally stimulating jobs into three categories:

1. Jobs that require the collection or analyzing of data, such as musicians, civil engineers, and architects
2. Jobs that require complex interactions with humans, like doctors, social workers, lawyers, and probation officers
3. Jobs that require complex interactions with things, including manufacturers, machine technicians, and engineers.

There are also careers that require complex interactions with all three categories cited above. A study conducted by Scotland’s University of Edinburgh ranked teachers and surgeons among these.

How to make your job more mentally stimulating

It’s worth noting that roughly 70% of Americans don’t feel that their work is mentally challenging enough. A small and lucky minority gets to choose their jobs, but careers that encourage executive decisions are hard to come by.

That doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to find opportunities to challenge yourself mentally. “Job crafting” is the process of initiating changes within your current position to increase the stimulation you get from it. It’s all about framing.

Sharon Parker, director of Australia’s Centre for Transformative Work Design, recommended five easy ways to force more control and get more mental stimulation from any gig.

1. Negotiate more autonomy from your boss.
2. Ask for more control over your work hours.
3. Learn new skills that will be helpful for a more mentally stimulating job you plan on securing in the future.
4. Regularly ask a colleague to teach you something new.
5. Organize special events in the workplace.

“One study showed that hospital cleaners crafted their job in very different ways,” Parker said. “Whereas one group of cleaners tried to keep their tasks to a minimum, cleaners in a second group saw themselves not just as cleaners but as healers. … They engaged in behaviors such as talking to patients and showing visitors around, which improved the meaning of their work.”