Research Says A 3-Day Work Week May Be Best For Those Over 40 Years Old

Do you ever wish you could work fewer hours per week? Well, then you may want to consider it.
But how do you explain it to your boss? If you’re over 40, you can cite a new study in the Melbourne Institute’s Working Paper Series. They found that a three-day work week may be the best way to keep employees over 40 productive yet not burned out.

In the study, researchers from Australia and Japan looked at how working hours affected cognitive abilities of 3,500 women and 3,000 men over 40 years old in Australia. The volunteer subjects had to do various cognitive tests, such as reciting sequences of numbers and reading words aloud, reported The Telegraph.

“Our findings show that there is a non-linearity in the effect of working hours on cognitive functioning,” the research said. “For working hours up to around 25 hours a week, an increase in working hours has a positive impact on cognitive functioning. However, when working hours exceed 25 hours per week, an increase in working hours has a negative impact on cognition.”

Sounds good to us. And, interestingly enough, the findings were the same for men and women.
However, if working 25 hours is not possible, what’s the next best thing—a 40-hour work week or not working at all? If you guessed the former, you’re correct, according the study’s findings. However, if we’re talking working over 55 hours per week, that’s worse yet for cognitive functioning than not working at all.

“The degree of intellectual stimulation may depend on working hours,” said one of the researchers, Colin McKenzie, professor of economics at Keio University.

“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.”