Retirement bad for your health? Huh?

H

H2ODude

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BBC News - Retirement 'harmful to health', study says

So a "think tank" (love that expression) has concluded in the UK that retirement is bad for your health in the long run. Concludes that between that and the economic situation people need to rethink retiring at "normal" age. Let's just say I'm skeptical. Judging from the comments, not a whole lot of agreement with the readers. Sounds to me like a government sponsored..."Cheer up chaps, we know you can't afford to retire but our studies show it's better for you to keep working!" No thanks. Doing just fine.
 
H2ODude said:
BBC News - Retirement 'harmful to health', study says

So a "think tank" (love that expression) has concluded in the UK that retirement is bad for your health in the long run. Concludes that between that and the economic situation people need to rethink retiring at "normal" age. Let's just say I'm skeptical. Judging from the comments, not a whole lot of agreement with the readers. Sounds to me like a government sponsored..."Cheer up chaps, we know you can't afford to retire but our studies show it's better for you to keep working!" No thanks. Doing just fine.
Click to expand...

That reminds me of this, also from the UK: Boxer (Animal Farm) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
I have heard of similar studies. I think a lot of people work till the point where they develop many chronic health issues. Then they retire and naturally their health continues to get worse, because they are beyond the time where they can reverse the trend.
 
David1961 said:
I have heard of similar studies. I think a lot of people work till the point where they develop many chronic health issues. Then they retire and naturally their health continues to get worse, because they are beyond the time where they can reverse the trend.
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that has been what I have observed also. Although I did know a guy who the week after his retirement died when he rolled a tractor over. I know a couple of other stories like that, but mostly the people were sickly when they retired.

Also, Life is bad for your health, apparently.:)
 
timo2 said:
that has been what I have observed also. Although I did know a guy who the week after his retirement died when he rolled a tractor over. I know a couple of other stories like that, but mostly the people were sickly when they retired.

Also, Life is bad for your health, apparently.:)
Click to expand...
A very similar thing happened to one of my co-workers at Megacorp. He was 57 years old and appeared to be in great physical conditon. He had "turned in his papers" and only had a couple of days left to work.

While working on his farm, his tractor got stuck in the mud, he had a heart attack and died while trying to get out of the mud.

Megacorp balked at paying severance (a year's salary) to his widow. I never heard how that turned out.
 
Interesting to read the comments on that article. I'd say 95% of them are critical, saying it's "complete rubbish." Many of them say they are retired and have never been happier and healthier.

If you don't have many interests prior to retirement, and your whole life is wrapped up in your job, then I think it would be easy to slip into a rut where you just sat around and watched TV. Then you would probably waste away.
 
Somehow I don't think sitting on my rear for hours at a time in a windowless cubicle working 60 hours or more a week in my fifties or sixties would be healthier than having the days free to bike, hike and time to cook from scratch.
 
daylatedollarshort said:
Somehow I don't think sitting on my rear for hours at a time in a windowless cubicle working 60 hours or more a week in my fifties or sixties would be healthier than having the days free to bike, hike and time to cook from scratch.
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Obviously, you have joined the ranks of the dangerous radicals who populate this board!! :rolleyes:
 
daylatedollarshort said:
Somehow I don't think sitting on my rear for hours at a time in a windowless cubicle working 60 hours or more a week in my fifties or sixties would be healthier than having the days free to bike, hike and time to cook from scratch.
Click to expand...

+1 I think retirement is immensely beneficial to the health of many/most of our forum members because we are actively involved in creating the kind of retirement that will be beneficial to us. We are used to visualizing a positive outcome, in this case a healthy retirement; identifying the steps that will result in that outcome; and ultimately seeing our plans through to fruition.

Like many here, I am far more physically active in retirement. In fact, I haven't been this active since high school, and that is so good for my health! Also the huge reduction in stress has to be good for me and I have lost some excess weight. I feel so much healthier than I did while working.
 
daylatedollarshort said:
Somehow I don't think sitting on my rear for hours at a time in a windowless cubicle working 60 hours or more a week in my fifties or sixties would be healthier than having the days free to bike, hike and time to cook from scratch.
Click to expand...

Exactly. I'm surprised these so-called studies don't seem to recognize this as well as the health benefits of lower stress. :nonono:
 
I'll gladly allow all the folks who wish to maintain their health to do so in windowless cubicles or other happy w*rk places. By all means they should stick with being in the mushroom club.

I'll suffer through my endless playtime in retirement. All in order to prevent hapless individuals from wrecking their lives in unproductive endeavors without guidance and direction from some malevolent dictators at megacorp.
 
Beside the fact that the study seems to mix up cause and effect, it also depends on the job you are retiring from. Not all jobs are created equal. I suspect Navy Seals who retire early have a greater chance of living longer than when they were working and on dangerous assignments, as well as other high risk jobs like forest fire fighters. Also those of us who have or have had jobs require that we mostly sit in one place all day in front of a computer screen, which studies show can be dangerous in different ways.

Is Sitting a Lethal Activity?
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17sitting-t.html?_r=0
 
At least 3 good friends of mine over the years passed away within 1 year after retirement. In two of the cases - it was degraded health that forced them to retire when they did. W*rk was what they knew - they measured their self worth through their accomplishments at w*rk. All 3 had good lives outside of w*rk - kept busy etc., but they felt they needed the mental challenge they attained through their daily accomplishments.

They are one of the reasons I have pushed myself to be able to retire early...
 
Free To Canoe said:
Well, I learned what "tosh" means by reading some of the 1100+ comments.

Keep working slaves!
Click to expand...

Seems like some corporate think tank dreamed this up. Keep the gears manned and grinding, and tell them it's good for you.

"Tosh" baffled me too. Must be a Britishism.
 
Tosh for sure!
Major possible bias in these types of studies is lack of control for health at time of retirement. Many retire with nagging maladies which are not severe enough to qualify for disability but make w#rking an increasing PITA. Healthier folks make choose to w@rk longer.
 
daylatedollarshort said:
Somehow I don't think sitting on my rear for hours at a time in a windowless cubicle working 60 hours or more a week in my fifties or sixties would be healthier than having the days free to bike, hike and time to cook from scratch.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree with this more. Well put.
 
ER Eddie said:
Interesting to read the comments on that article. I'd say 95% of them are critical, saying it's "complete rubbish." Many of them say they are retired and have never been happier and healthier.

If you don't have many interests prior to retirement, and your whole life is wrapped up in your job, then I think it would be easy to slip into a rut where you just sat around and watched TV. Then you would probably waste away.
Click to expand...

I think is is also a good point. Many people (sadly) have no other purpose in life other than their work. Never developed hobbies, intellectual interests, or physical activities. Once they retire, they feel lost, get depressed, and not surprisingly their health declines.
 
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