Retirement leads to happiness and health, new research shows. However, you may not feel those benefits right away.
The study titled “Does Retirement Improve Health and Life Satisfaction?” was conducted by the National Bureau of Economic Research, a private nonprofit organization based in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
The study’s authors say this is “the first paper to discover positive long-term effects in measurable health outcomes for U.S. retirees,” the Fiscal Times reports.
Aspen Gorry — who teaches economics and finance at Utah State University and who is one of the study’s two authors — tells the Fiscal Times the study found that retirement has a long-term benefit on a person’s subjective well-being, or level of happiness.
“For subjective well-being, most studies find that happiness returns to a baseline level so that life events only have temporary effects. Our findings for retirement contrast with that typical result.”
Retirement also appears to boost a person’s physical and mental health, the study found.
Don’t expect to feel the positive effects of retirement on your health on day one, though.
The researchers found the impact on life satisfaction manifests within the first four years of retirement.
Meanwhile, “many” health benefits don’t manifest until at least four years into retirement.
How has retirement impacted your health? Share your thoughts with us by leaving a comment below or on our Facebook page.
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