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Working past retirement age can pay physical and mental dividends, according to new research.
RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—If your plans for retirement include a mountain getaway or beachfront condo, you might want to make sure it comes with a home office. A new study in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology finds that working after retirement leads to better physical and mental health than just resting on your 401k.
THE DETAILS: The researchers recruited 12,189 adults between 51 and 61 years old who were already participating in the National Institute on Aging's Health and Retirement Study. Over the course of six years, the participants were interviewed regarding finances, employment history, and current retirement status, and they answered questions related to their physical health (whether they suffered from any major diseases, such as cancer or heart disease), functional abilities (their ability to dress themselves, walk, and participate in day-to-day tasks), and mental health (primarily related to depression). People who continued working after retirement in either a full-time or part-time capacity saw greater benefits to their physical health and their daily functioning than people who retired completely, they found, even after the researchers accounted for pre-retirement physical and financial well-being. However, only people whose employment was somehow related to their previous career, as opposed to people who embarked on new careers, saw benefits to their mental health.
WHAT IT MEANS: Working after retirement keeps you on your toes and your brain sharp—as long as you enjoy what you're doing, says lead author Mo Wang, PhD, an occupational health psychologist and assistant professor in the department of psychology at the University of Maryland. "Our general finding was that if people work in any kind of field, it's good for their physical health and daily functioning," he says.
But when it comes to mental health, it all comes down to how much you enjoy your postretirement career. "A lot of people work on things they're not familiar with after retirement because they have to," says Wang, and that could be one reason why those people don't see the same gains in mental health as people who stick with the same career. "People who don't have enough financial resources often work in a different field to support their retirement," he says. And in that situation, financial stress can definitely play a role, as can the general stress of adjusting to a new environment. "Working in a different field requires that you spend time adjusting to the new job, adjusting to the new work content, and also a new social environment at work."
retirement
I am among a group of Americans that our government has decided not to allow retirement. You see, my husband is a Teacher, and I am a school bus driver, who will be directly affected by the "Windfall Elimination Penalty" and the "Government Pension Offset" penalty. Anyone who thinks they will be eligible for Social Security and a Government Pension needs to check into these two laws.
Basically, even though I paid into Social Security for over 25 years, if my husband dies first, when I retire, Social Security will reduce my benefits by 2/3 of the amount of his pension.
Railroad Retirement is even worse. Spousal benefits are reduced dollar for dollar for women who accidentally outlive their husbands, and have their own pension, no matter how small.
Do the research....write or call your Senators and Congressmen! Make them eliminate the WINDFALL ELIMINATION PENALTY AND THE GOVERNMENT PENSION OFFSET!! If we worked and paid into these programs all our lives...we should be entitled to the same retirement as anyone else.
RETIREMENT AND WORK
I'D GIVE ANYTHING TO HAVE SOME MEANINGFUL WORK. THIS FINANCIAL CRISIS MAKES IT DIFFICULT TO ENVISION A DECENT STANDARD OF LIVING WILL CONTINUE. I HAVE DONE MANY VOLUNTEER JOBS, CHAIRING, BOARD MEMBER, AND SO FORTH, BUT NONE HAS BEEN AS SATISFYING AS MY JOB.
retirement
I agree, retirement without a "job" certainly doesn't have to mean stagnation. It gives us time to pursue our passions and share them with others if only through volunteering. I personally feel that the social security is pay for the math tutoring and mentoring I do. The people I work with could never afford me if I had to worry about making a living. This is a somewhat shallow survey. I don't know anyone who collects SS and does nothing. Even my friends who are in their 80's are vibrant givers in their communities.
Retirement
Sorry, but your poll doesn't apply to me.
My "career" job was eliminated when I was 45. In order to make the same salary and have the same level of responsibility, I would have had to commute about 65 miles daily. I decided it wasn't worth the stress. I don't miss the "kiss-up/back stabbing" social interaction of the corporate world at all. The only thing I miss about having a "real" job is health care benefits. I have a great group of friends and extended family and church for social interaction and mental stimulation. I've had several interesting much lower paying jobs plus self employment (even lower paying) in the last 18 years. Currently, I'm collecting social security and a small pension however I'm anything but retired. I am primary chauffeur, shopper, or whatever else is needed for elderly parents almost daily and for grandchildren on occasion. I volunteer for a local non-profit organization, doing most anything that requires a computer.