According to recent research conducted in Japan those over the age of 40 should not work for no more than three days a week in order to keep their minds sharp.
The new study which involved 3,000 men and 3,500 women, apparently found that those aged 40 or over performed better on part-time week consisting of 25 hours compared to those in the same age group working a 40 hour full-time working week.
The research, which involved timed literacy and numeracy tests, showed that people who worked just 25 hours exceeded expectations and performed well, whilst those who worked for 40 hours a week performed slightly worse, although those who worked a grueling 55 hours a week seriously underperformed.
According to Colin McKenzie, an economics professor at Keio University and one of the paper’s authors: “Work can be a double-edged sword, in that it can stimulate brain activity, but at the same time long working hours can cause fatigue and stress, which potentially damage cognitive functions.
“We point out that differences in working hours are important for maintaining cognitive functioning in middle-aged and elderly adults. “This means that, in middle and older age, working part-time could be effective in maintaining cognitive ability”.