Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2025

Working Memory Training for Older Participants: A Control Group Training Regimen and Initial Intellectual Functioning Assessment
Published on: September 20, 2020
The effects of work on cognitive functions: a systematic review
Pasquale Bufano1, Cristina Di Tecco2, Alice Fattori3,4
1Institute of Clinical Physiology, National Research Council, Pisa, Italy.
Introduction:
Cognitive functions play a crucial role in individual's life since they represent the mental abilities necessary to perform any activity. During working life, having healthy cognitive functioning is essential for the proper performance of work, but it is especially crucial for preserving cognitive abilities and thus ensuring healthy cognitive aging after retirement. The aim of this paper was to systematically review the scientific literature related to the effects of work on cognitive functions to assess which work-related factors most adversely affect them.
Method:
We queried the PubMed and Scopus electronic databases, in February 2023, according to the PRISMA guidelines (PROSPERO ID number = CRD42023439172), and articles were included if they met all the inclusion criteria and survived a quality assessment. From an initial pool of 61,781 papers, we retained a final sample of 64 articles, which were divided into 5 categories based on work-related factors: shift work (n = 39), sedentary work (n = 7), occupational stress (n = 12), prolonged working hours (n = 3), and expertise (n = 3).
Results:
The results showed that shift work, occupational stress, and, probably, prolonged working hours have detrimental effects on cognitive functioning; instead, results related to sedentary work and expertise on cognitive functions are inconclusive and extremely miscellaneous.
Discussion:
Therefore, workplace health and well-being promotion should consider reducing or rescheduling night shift, the creation of less demanding and more resourceful work environments and the use of micro-breaks to preserve workers' cognitive functioning both before and after retirement.
Systematic Review Registration:
https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42023439172, identifier CRD42023439172.
Related Concept Videos
Working Memory
Cognitive Development During Adulthood
Cognitive Enhancers: Cholinesterase Inhibitors and NMDA Receptor Antagonists
Information Processing Approach
Cognitivism
Previously dominated by behaviorism, which prioritized observable behaviors and largely ignored mental processes, psychology transformed in the 1950s. Cognitive psychologists argue that understanding how we think and process...
Role of Cerebellum and Prefrontal Cortex in Memory

