Taking Early Retirement May Retire Memory, Too

While not everyone is convinced by the new analysis, published recently in The Journal of Economic Perspectives, a number of leading researchers say the study is, at least, a tantalizing bit of evidence for a hypothesis that is widely believed but surprisingly difficult to demonstrate. [...] they note, that could be because people whose memories and thinking skills are declining may be more likely to retire than people whose cognitive skills remain sharp. [...] research has failed to support the premise that mastering things like memory exercises, crossword puzzles and games like Sudoku carry over into real life, improving overall functioning. [This article references the 2010 JEP paper by Rohwedder and Willis which argues that "early retirement appears to have a significant negative impact on the cognitive ability of people in their early 60s".]