Retiring early could accelerate cognitive decline. The National Bureau of Economic Research notes that a “potential link between work and forestalling cognitive decline and dementia points to large social benefits from higher employment at older ages,” adding that the findings could have significant policy implications around Social Security benefits and work requirements for certain benefits. Mental declines were noted across both men and women, though they were heavily concentrated among men between the ages of 51 and 64. The average retirement age in the United States is 62, up from 57 in 1991.
