工作能让你的大脑延缓衰老

In the battle against those senior moments, the Americans have turned everything from crosswords to Sudoku, but there is a new report out that finds that it could boil down that old injunction. Maybe it's really better to wear-out than rest-out. Deberol Roberts has more.

At a time when many of his friends have long retired, Dan Morgenstern wouldn't think of it.

--It's something that I still enjoy doing. And that's why I am still here.

For the past 34 years, he's been at work, running a Jazz music institute at Rutgers University. Morgenstern is 80 years old.

--I am absolutely certain that continuing to work is helping me to keep my mind alert.

He may be onto something . A new analysis suggests that putting off retirement and working longer in life with all of its mental work place vigors may keep your brain sharp. Playing a daily game of chess may not be enough.

--The big difference here is that people spend thousands of hours at work and work can be a very powerful environment.

The economic professors behind it all looked into 20 years worth of data involving thousands of aging people from the US and 11 other countries. All were given a simple memory test and Americans who tend to retire latter in life scored highest.

They don't know what it is about work. Is it the job you do or the social interaction that's helping? Some scientists though are convinced they want more data but they say it is a persuasive argument for the old adage:use it or lose it.

Deberol Roberts, ABC News, New York.