If you have ever experienced working a boring job, at one time you may have felt that your brain is doing nothing at all and you may have even thrown around the expression "losing brain cells" a couple of times or so. However, this little tongue in cheek expression may in fact be true if the research from Florida State University is to be believed.
The researchers believe that the lack of brain stimulation from a boring job may eventually lead to negative, long term effects on the brain, per reports from the Daily Mail. There are a lot of factors in the workplace, both tangible and intangible, that can affect a person's cognitive functioning. Among the areas of cognitive function affected is memory and concentration, especially in a person's middle age.
"Psychologists say that the brain is a muscle, while industrial hygienists point to chemicals in the work environment that may cause decline," says lead researcher Joseph Grzywacz. When we say that the brain is a muscle, we are basically saying that it falls under the "use it or lose it" rule. Some scientists have also argued that it is a messy and unkempt workplace that leads to cognitive decline in workers later in their lives.
Those who believe in the latter statement argue that a workplace that is not kept clean can cause the growth of mold and other bacteria that is harmful to the brain. However, Grzywacz research can put this argument to bed, according to The Economic Times. What he and his team have done is to show that both of these factors have a more or less equal effect when it comes to cognitive decline in one's workplace.
These factors affect both men and women. "Designing jobs to ensure that all workers have some decision making ability may protect cognitive function later in life, but it's also about cleaning up the workplace," says Grzywacz.
