Hmm... Retire Early, Die Early?

[jasg]

Just one study but PSMag is a respected publication, so I'll share.

Quote:

Many workers have a simple attitude toward retirement: the sooner, the better. If you have the financial resources to assume a life of leisure, why not do so? Newly published research provides a stark and compelling answer: You will likely hasten your own death.

https://psmag.com/retire-early-die-e...4f4#.txv6fruc6

[gauss]

If they were able to control for how active(ie volunteering, engagement with people, having a purpose, accountability to others) people are after retirement, I wonder if they would still see an effect.

Although what I have described above may start to sound a lot like work, being able to control and limit the amount of responsibility that you take comfortably take on can be very liberating and refreshing - IMHO.

-gauss

[Midpack]

So the bright side is we can all plan on the same duration years in retirement, one less variable/uncertainty. SWR works at any retirement age, might as well ER!

[Walt34]

That's okay, I'll just have to take my chances...

[Focus]

I saw this too. There have been several articles like it in recent years. This is where this one lost me:

Quote:

The reasons for this “are generally not well understood,” the researchers concede. “One possible explanation is..."

In other words, "We have no idea, so we're going to start guessing"! So much for being scientific.

[razztazz]

Quote:

I saw this too. There have been several articles like it in recent years. This is where this one lost me: Quote: The reasons for this “are generally not well understood,” the researchers concede. “One possible explanation is..." In other words, "We have no idea, so we're going to start guessing"! So much for being scientific.

The underpinnings of all science. Start with a theory. Sell it. And always wipe the fingerprints off. "Latest studies show...." , "recent findings suggest....." "I'm a scientist damn it. You have to believe me!" All sound the ferking same to me.

[Fermion]

Plenty of studies have shown high stress leads to stroke and other problems.

Not sitting in traffic or worrying about a TPS report seems as if it would lower stress levels.

I call BS on the studies that retirement leads to shorter life.

[easysurfer]

At least I'd die happy .

[jim584672]

A lot of people retire early due to health issues. Also many are laid off prior to being ready to retire and can't find another job so they retire. These are examples of high stress early retirements.

The number of ER who have planned for it and are ready are probably few and far between.

[ziggy29]

We've discussed this one a lot here. General consensus is that this fails to account for people who retire early *because* of poor health, and that some people retire and let their minds and bodies rot. If you retire in good physical and financial health and keep your body active and mind sharp, I'll bet there would be a MUCH different result, perhaps even better than the "control group" because of reduced stress that would otherwise come from a crappy job and an overflowing BS bucket.

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by jim584672 A lot of people retire early due to health issues. Also many are laid off prior to being ready to retire and can't find another job so they retire. These are examples of high stress early retirements. The number of ER who have planned for it and are ready are probably few and far between.

+1. Sit inside all day, commute in traffic and eat fast food or have time to cook from scratch, garden, drink mint juleps on the patio and go for walks twice a day. (I actually don't even know what a mint julep is - it just sounded classier and healthier than drinking beer from Costco.)

[RAE]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ziggy29 We've discussed this one a lot here. General consensus is that this fails to account for people who retire early *because* of poor health, and that some people retire and let their minds and bodies rot. If you retire in good physical and financial health and keep your body active and mind sharp, I'll bet there would be a MUCH different result, perhaps even better than the "control group" because of reduced stress that would otherwise come from a crappy job and an overflowing BS bucket.

+1. Not everyone that retires has the same mindset. Some (like me and many others on this forum) longed for the day when we would have our freedom, and I'd venture to say that most of us have done just fine in retirement. I have so many things to do in retirement (almost all of which I enjoy) that I cannot imagine ever going back to the daily work grind (that is what would probably kill me). I also make my health a priority, so I know I eat healthier meals now than before I retired, and I exercise more also. On the other hand, some folks retire with no idea what they will do with the rest of their lives, and/or they had their whole identities wrapped up in their work life, and/or they neglect their health after retiring- and those are the folks that do not do well after retiring.

So, I take studies like this with a huge grain of salt..........they certainly don't apply to my situation, and to many other retirees I know.

[Bamaman]

I'm getting on with life while there's time. We all just have so many days on this earth, and there's no reason to wait until we're too old to grab all the gusto.

We're about to leave for London and Rome--within the hour.

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bamaman I'm getting on with life while there's time. We all just have so many days on this earth, and there's no reason to wait until we're too old to grab all the gusto. We're about to leave for London and Rome--within the hour.

Have fun and report back!

[Which Roger]

It says "They were periodically surveyed from 1992 (when all were still working) to 2010 (when all were fully retired)."

If all were still working in 1992, most would still be relatively young (and still alive) in 2010, so how much death data could they have had to reach the conclusions?

[robnplunder]

I have retired from my early retirement after reading the article ... not!

[JoeWras]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Focus I saw this too. There have been several articles like it in recent years. .

Yes, and the fact that we keep seeing these make me really leery of anything I read lately.

I'm really wondering what people are feeding me in the media. What is their agenda?

There's always an agenda. Always.

Trust nobody.

[cyber888]

There's another side to this.

I have a colleague who .continues to work after too much stress from the boss. He had a fight with the previous boss. Because of the stress, he developed irregular heartbeat and had angina. Now, he is 62 and can't retire because he fears his medical expenses will be too high. I know of 2 people in my industry who died at 50 and 53 due to work stress and heart.

Now, my uncle has a heart attack 30 years ago, and so he retired. Half of his body is paralyzed. And guess what, 30 years after his retirement - he still lives. Now, he wants to die and does not want to eat. His daughter, my cousin, is problematic on how to handle their Dad. The old coot just continues to live and he is 81 years old.

Most people identify their life to their work. Strip them of their work, and they feel like they are nothing. There's more to life than work, and you just need to adopt this mentality.

[daylatedollarshort]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JoeWras Yes, and the fact that we keep seeing these make me really leery of anything I read lately. I'm really wondering what people are feeding me in the media. What is their agenda? There's always an agenda. Always. Trust nobody.

There are lots of articles these days on why people should retire later or not at all. Some may be sincere, others I suspect can be traced back to the super wealthy not wanting to pay more taxes to keep SS in the black.

[kneehigh]

Quote:

Originally Posted by easysurfer At least I'd die happy .

Quote:

Originally Posted by RAE +1. Some (like me and many others on this forum) longed for the day when we would have our freedom, and I'd venture to say that most of us have done just fine in retirement. I have so many things to do in retirement (almost all of which I enjoy) that I cannot imagine ever going back to the daily work grind (that is what would probably kill me).

+100 One minute of happiness in retirement is one minute more satisfaction than I ever had as a worker bee. Any time added to the pleasure of retirement is better than a long life of slavery.

"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
Andy Dufresne/Tim Robbins in The Shawshank Redemption (1994)