Human Growth and Development / Unit 16 HGD 2279 review, 2 to 3 minutes
Is Retirement Good for You?
The idea
Retirement, permanently leaving the workforce, is common but not universal, and its effects on well-being are debated. Work offers cognitive stimulation, social ties and identity, and some studies have observed cognitive decline shortly after retirement. Retirement offers relief from job strain and time for renewed identity exploration. A review of twenty-two longitudinal studies found that most retirees report better mental health after retiring, with less depression, anxiety and stress. Circumstances matter: in a large European panel study, retiring for positive, chosen reasons reduced depression, while retiring under negative circumstances worsened it. Health complicates the comparison: poor health can force early retirement, so retirees in poor health may fare worse because of the illness, not the retirement.
In practice
Two sixty-five-year-olds retiring the same month, one after planning for years and eager to travel, the other pushed out by a layoff and a heart condition, and a year later the first thriving and the second struggling.
Where people slip
The misconception is that retirement is bad for mental health. For most people it is not, though cognitive stimulation from work may fall. The question has no single answer because the reasons for retiring, health, finances and social support all shape the outcome. Selection is the key research problem: people do not retire at random, so comparing retirees with workers mixes the effect of retirement with the reasons people retire. Those who look forward to retirement and have plans tend to anticipate adequate income. For the exam, know that most retirees report better mental health and that the circumstances of retirement matter. Retirement also reshapes daily structure, social ties and identity, which is why the adjustment that follows deserves its own study, in the next entry.
Your place on the trail
Every lesson rests on earlier ones and opens later ones. Tap any to jump.
Unlocks
Something wrong in this lesson? Flag it · Sources for Human Growth and Development