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New SWEAH dissertation shows no general negative effects of retirement on cognitive functioning

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Linn Zulka´s study: "On Retirement and Cognitive Aging from a Life-Span Perspective" assessed whether retirement influences cognitive functioning and how inter- and intra-individual differences in psychological and lifestyle factors moderate the association.


A secondary purpose was to evaluate whether general intelligence, as measured at age 18, and social contacts later in life may function as resources for successful adaptation to retirement from work.

- On average, we did not find negative effects of retirement on cognitive functioning. We could therefore not confirm the idea about mental retirement i.e. that people stop to use their cognitive abilities when they retire and inevitably experience a decrease in their ability. Furthermore, our results highlight that occupational background, changes in leisure activity engagement over the retirement transition as well as other factors that may shape developments over the life-span are important to consider when studying cognitive aging and retirement.

Descrice your years as a SWEAH PhD with thee words?
- Inspiring, informative and socially rewarding.

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