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Memory decline associated with early retirement
10-11-2010, 04:38 PM
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#1
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 1,396
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Memory decline associated with early retirement
"The two economists call their paper “Mental Retirement,” and their argument has intrigued behavioral researchers. Data from the United States, England and 11 other European countries suggest that the earlier people retire, the more quickly their memories decline."
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/12/sc...er=rss&emc=rss
What do you think?
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10-11-2010, 04:42 PM
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#2
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jun 2005
Posts: 4,391
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I'd answer but my mind keeps slipping.
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10-11-2010, 04:45 PM
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#3
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Where the stars at night are big and bright
Posts: 2,847
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JustCurious
What do you think?
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About what?
On a more serious note, I would agree with one of the criticisms from the article that you linked - there are a lot of differences between the different groups in addition to retirement ages. And I'm not sure, other than short term memory, what is tested by memorizing a list of words.
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There is no pleasure in having nothing to do; the fun is having lots to do and not doing it. - Andrew Jackson
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10-11-2010, 04:55 PM
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#4
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: San Francisco
Posts: 8,827
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Selection bias? The failing minds retired earlier because they were performing poorly on the job, or making less money in their own business, or were more stressed due to vague self-awareness if impending decline, etc. etc.
Or it's a bit true and we should all bear it in mind as we plan our post-FIRE routines.
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Rich
San Francisco Area
ESR'd March 2010. FIRE'd January 2011.
As if you didn't know..If the above message contains medical content, it's NOT intended as advice, and may not be accurate, applicable or sufficient. Don't rely on it for any purpose. Consult your own doctor for all medical advice.
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10-11-2010, 04:55 PM
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#5
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
Join Date: Jan 2008
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No one agrees with other people's opinions; they merely agree with their own opinions -- expressed by somebody else. Sydney Tremayne
Retired Jun 2011 at age 57
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10-11-2010, 04:55 PM
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#6
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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I agree with Hugh Hendrie, the emeritus psychology professor at Indiana University School of Medicine who was quoted as saying,
Quote:
“It’s a nice approach, a very good study,” he said. But, he said, there are many differences among countries besides retirement ages. The correlations do not prove causation. They also, he added, do not prove that there is a clinical significance to the changes in scores on memory tests.
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(emphasis mine) What were they thinking?
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Happily retired since 2009, at age 61. Best years of my life by far!
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10-11-2010, 05:44 PM
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#7
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Jul 2007
Posts: 2,487
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I totally agree with W2R. I think there are a lot of cultural aspects to this, whether personal or relating to the geography in which you live. For example, I live in Japan right now, where I don't feel I could live an active, rewarding retirement. That's because there are few things that are near and dear to my heart for me to do, if I have to live in a tiny apartment. If I lived at my home in California, well, there are enough stimulating activities of interest for me there that I would probably never be bored.
I also believe that if you retire from compensated employment so that you can be a couch potato, then that is also what will happen to your mind. If you retire from compensated employment with an active plan, fully executed, which keeps your mind busy, then your mind probably won't go.
If you look around this forum, for example, you have people who have written books in retirement, people who volunteer and help others, people who take on second careers or other activities that are not compensated but are of value. I think the authors of the study need to look a little deeper, specifically at what the early retirees are doing with their time, and why. They may come to a more meaningful conclusion.
R
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Find Joy in the Journey...
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10-11-2010, 07:52 PM
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#8
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Location: west coast, hi there!
Posts: 8,809
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From the article:
Quote:
The memory test looks at how well people can recall a list of 10 nouns immediately and 10 minutes after they heard them. A perfect score is 20, meaning all 10 were recalled each time. Those tests were chosen for the surveys because memory generally declines with age, and this decline is associated with diminished ability to think and reason.
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Personally, I'd never take such a stupid test. I hate surveys and meaningless test come in a close second. I'd never have submitted to such a test either when working or retired.
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10-11-2010, 07:54 PM
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#9
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Midpack
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42?
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10-11-2010, 09:27 PM
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#10
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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What was the question?
I actually feel smarter since FIRE because I have a variety of activities going on instead of mindless drudgew*rk (same old same old...). I do feel like my "to completion" attention span has decreased a little. I was used to long term thinking (lab experimentation, anticipating yearly funding cycles, program management) while drawing a paycheck.
But I've gotten over it.
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10-11-2010, 09:34 PM
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#11
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2009
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At a bare minimum you have to compare the people same countries at age 40. Without that you have nothing worth publishing
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10-12-2010, 09:20 PM
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#12
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Rambler
I also believe that if you retire from compensated employment so that you can be a couch potato, then that is also what will happen to your mind. If you retire from compensated employment with an active plan, fully executed, which keeps your mind busy, then your mind probably won't go.
If you look around this forum, for example, you have people who have written books in retirement, people who volunteer and help others, people who take on second careers or other activities that are not compensated but are of value. I think the authors of the study need to look a little deeper, specifically at what the early retirees are doing with their time, and why. They may come to a more meaningful conclusion.
R
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Exactly - I'm too busy to participate in surveys.
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Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
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10-13-2010, 09:50 AM
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#13
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Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
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This study is a poster child for the old maxim that "correlation does not equal causation."
Maybe some folks retired early *because* they were losing their memory.
Maybe retiring early leads some people to stop exercising their minds, thus losing mental sharpness. But in that case it would be the lack of mental stimulation, not the retiring early, that caused it -- and there are plenty of ways to stay mentally and physically sharp after retirement, no matter what some pro-"work until you drop dead" people try to claim.
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10-13-2010, 10:07 AM
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#14
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Full time employment: Posting here.
Join Date: Feb 2009
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ziggy29
This study is a poster child for the old maxim that "correlation does not equal causation."
Maybe some folks retired early *because* they were losing their memory.
Maybe retiring early leads some people to stop exercising their minds, thus losing mental sharpness. But in that case it would be the lack of mental stimulation, not the retiring early, that caused it -- and there are plenty of ways to stay mentally and physically sharp after retirement, no matter what some pro-"work until you drop dead" people try to claim.
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I agree but it doesn't even rise to that level. it compares contries, not individuals. Also it has no baselines of younger people
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10-13-2010, 11:07 AM
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#15
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Moderator Emeritus
Join Date: Dec 2002
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They're probably just trying to cope with memory decline...
I think most of this non-problem is an American cultural overemphasis on hypervigilant self-assessments designed to alert us to the slightest amount of memory decline.
The way I remember it (no matter how much I try to forget it), I'm doing better in ER than I was during any of my 36-hour workdays.
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10-13-2010, 01:20 PM
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#16
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
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I've read a similar study on memory and bridge players. The study outcome indicated that those who play bridge into old age have better memories longer than those who don't play.
But, in other expert's opinions, the study was flawed because they couldn't prove whether people with good memories to begin with are drawn to bridge or whether the game of bridge helped them retain memory.
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10-13-2010, 01:37 PM
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#17
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Lisa99
But, in other expert's opinions, the study was flawed because they couldn't prove whether people with good memories to begin with are drawn to bridge or whether the game of bridge helped them retain memory.
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"... and therein lies the rubber" - William Shakespeare
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Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
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10-13-2010, 01:42 PM
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#18
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
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wonder how many will get that
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10-13-2010, 01:46 PM
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#19
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Administrator
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: N. Yorkshire
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I would think we have many bridge playing Shakespeare readers on the site that have a warped sense of humor
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Retired in Jan, 2010 at 55, moved to England in May 2016
Enough private pension and SS income to cover all needs
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10-13-2010, 02:00 PM
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#20
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Thinks s/he gets paid by the post
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 1,440
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you're probably spot on
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