London - If you’re reading this bleary-eyed at your desk, it may feel like retirement can’t come quickly enough.
But don’t rush it – for research has found that giving up work could be bad for your health.
While many of us might dream of a retirement spent travelling, trying new hobbies and finding contentment, it seems escaping the office may actually make us more miserable and prone to sickness.
A study found that after giving up work, the average adult was 60 percent more likely to have at least one diagnosed illness. Retirement was also found to increase the risk of depression by 40 percent and the chance of being on medication by 60 percent.
And retirees were 40 percent less likely to declare themselves in either “very good” or “excellent” health than those still working.
Researchers from the London-based Institute of Economic Affairs think-tank surveyed as many as 9 000 adults aged 50 to 70 from 11 European countries.
Participants filled in detailed questionnaires about their health and wellbeing before retirement and at various stages afterwards.
The study tried to account for the fact that some people will retire due to health problems.
But lead researcher Gabriel Sahlgren pointed out that retirement is such a life-changing event that it can actually be far more stressful than continuing to work.
Many will lose touch with friends and colleagues and become isolated. They may take less exercise if they walked or cycled to work or had physically demanding jobs.
And the drop in income that comes with retirement will have a further detrimental effect on their wellbeing and overall health. The study concluded: “The results display large negative health effects of retirement among both women and men.
“While there remains some doubt about the immediate health impact of retirement, there seem to exist longer-term health benefits of employment among older people.”
Edward Datnow of the Age Endeavour Fellowship, a charity for the elderly, said: “There should be no ‘normal’ retirement age in future. More employers need to consider how they will capitalise on Britain’s untapped grey potential and those seeking to retire should think very hard about whether it is their best option.” - Daily Mail