A mentally taxing job may boost your short-term anxiety. But in the long run having a more intellectually demanding occupation could be the key to combating dementia and living longer, according to health researchers.

Degeneration of the frontal and temporal parts of the brain leads to a common form of early-onset dementia that typically strikes before the age of 65. But the latest study, by Pennsylvania State College of Nursing investigators, echoes past research findings that higher education, demanding work experiences, and mental engagement help a person develop cognitive strategies and neural connections throughout his or her life.

"[Our] study suggests that having a higher occupational level protects the brain from some of the effects of this disease, allowing people to live longer after developing the disease," said Lauren Massimo, a Penn State postdoctoral fellow.

"People with frontotemporal dementia typically live six to 10 years after the symptoms emerge, but little has been known about what factors contribute to this range."

The findings, published in the journal Neurology, are based on a review of the medical charts and job experiences of 83 people who had an autopsy after death to confirm the diagnosis of either dementia or Alzheimer's disease.

The results showed the people with more challenging jobs — such as professional and technical workers, like lawyers and engineers — were more likely to have longer survival times than those with less challenging jobs, such as factory and service workers.

People in the most taxing professions survived an average of 116 months, while people in the lower occupation group survived an average of 72 months — suggesting a demanding job may add three years or more to a person’s lifespan.