Using internet in retirement boosts cognitive function

Date:
September 20, 2021
Source:
Lancaster University
Summary:
Scientists have studied the effect of internet usage on cognitive
function. Examining more than 2000 retirees from 10 European
countries, researchers found that, on average, retirees who used
the internet were able to recall 1.22 extra words in a recall
test compared to non-internet users (which equates to performing
around 8 per cent better in the tests). The effects were more
significant in women, with female retirees who used the internet
able to recall an additional 2.37 words, than peers who did not go
online. Results also showed that retirees who used the internet
were more likely to be male, were younger and better educated,
and had been retired for less time. They were also found to be in
better health - despite drinking and smoking more.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Using the internet during your retirement years can boost your cognitive function, a new study has found.


========================================================================== Researchers from Lancaster University Management School, the Norwegian University Science and Technology and Trinity College Dublin examined
the cognitive function of more than 2,000 retired people from across
Europe, and found that post-retirement internet usage is associated with substantially higher scores on tests.

The study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization,
uses data drawn from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) that collects information about the health, employment history
and socio- economic status of older people.

Focusing on a sample of 2,105 older people from Austria, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, Israel, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland who have
been retired since 2004, researchers examined retirees' cognitive function
in both 2013 and 2015. They specifically focused on a word recall test,
where individuals were asked to recall a list of 10 words immediately,
and then again five minutes later.

Results found that, on average, people who used the internet after they
retired were able to recall 1.22 extra words in the recall test compared
to non- internet users. However, retirees who used the internet were
also more likely to be male, younger, better educated, and have been
retired for a shorter period. They also appear to be in better health --
even though they drink and smoke more.

Dr Vincent O'Sullivan, a co-author from Lancaster University Management
School said: "Our results reveal that using the internet, post-retirement, leads to a marked reduction in the rate of cognitive decline.



========================================================================== "Interestingly, this protective effect was found to be most significant
amongst women, with female retirees who regularly surfed the internet able
to recall 2.37 more words compared to women who didn't go online. The
results were also consistent among men, with retired internet users
able to recall 0.94 more words than men with similar characteristics
who didn't use the internet.

"We also found that retirees who used computers in their jobs before
retirement were more likely to keep using computers once they retired,
and hence had better cognitive function." Researchers compared the
cognitive function of retirees who used to work in jobs where computers
were commonplace to retirees who worked in jobs where computers weren't
often used. For example, among teachers, computers became common in the workplace much later than sectors such as financial services.

Their results revealed that people with pre-retirement exposure to
computers were more likely to continue to use them once they retired.

Among the overall results, the researchers also found a stark difference
in the patterns of internet usage between European countries, with no
more than 12% of retirees using the internet in Italy, compared to over
60% in Denmark.

"Research has shown that retirement from the workforce is a critical
period for cognitive function, which declines with age and can be
a predictor for a range of key health outcomes among older people,"
said co-author Likun Mao, formerly a PhD student at Lancaster but now
at Trinity College Dublin. "Although there is a widespread belief that
computer usage improves older people's cognitive function -- such as
memory, attention, spatial abilities and problem solving - - there has
been mixed evidence from previous studies.

"We were able to discern that pre-retirement computer usage does not
directly influence post-retirement cognitive decline, and we ensured
our results referred only to post-retirement internet usage." Professor
Colin Green, of the Norwegian University Science and Technology, added:
"Within our study we estimated statistical models which controlled for individuals' ages, education levels, occupational skills and years since retirement, so we are confident that our results are robust and relate
only to the use of the internet, post retirement.

"This sets it apart from other studies and raises the interesting
question of what it is about internet use exactly, that drives
this positive effect on cognitive function. Interacting with
others online, finding out information in order to attend social
activities or simple tasks like shopping online can all make life
easier for retirees, but we are yet to understand which, if any,
of these tasks actually go as far as improving cognitive performance." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by Lancaster_University. Note: Content
may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Colin P. Green, Likun Mao, Vincent O'Sullivan. Internet usage
and the
cognitive function of retirees. Journal of Economic Behavior &
Organization, 2021; 190: 747 DOI: 10.1016/j.jebo.2021.08.013 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/09/210920100910.htm

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