Comments on: Does retiring early lead to a shorter lifespan?

By: FreeUrChains

FreeUrChains — Fri, 12 Aug 2011 13:19:17 +0000

Every Officer aboard the USS Enterprise was retired extremely early. They explored new worlds and galaxies as their hobby and duty to humanity. Jacob is helping this become a reality. I bet we would of had a matter replicator by now if everyone’s thoughts were focused on designing one. It could form any food or object needed from protons, neutrons, and electrons.

@ everyone, You continue to work for someone else, you become less fit, less fufilled from personal conquest, and treated horribly by those seeking power over you, all your ideas are stolen, copied, and become meaningless, you can’t talk about escape or be shunned, you can’t talk about politics, moral issues, finances, let alone mutiny, etc or be threatened by a sword.

By: Ed H.

Ed H. — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 18:39:49 +0000

I could see it happening. You relax and become less social, less active and less fit.

By: George

George — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 01:01:40 +0000

@kyle – the problem with getting paid for something that you like to do is oftentimes there are additional demands placed on the task/skill which take the fun out of the endeavor. Deadlines, schedules, “the customer comes first”, budgets, politics, etc. exact a life-sapping toll that can turn something you love into a crappy slave-job. This is why many people do NOT turn their hobbies into careers!

By: kyle

kyle — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 17:20:56 +0000

I disagree that “jobs” are pointless activities. Jobs are only pointless if you don’t enjoy them. The usual advice for happiness in your work is “find something you enjoy, then find someone fool enough to pay you to do it”.

I view my education as an investment in myself. If I earn no income based on the skills I spent so long training myself to have, then it was a pretty pointless exercise.

By: AB

AB — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 02:09:29 +0000

I am still working. In fact I own my own business but what really makes a difference is accumulating a big enough nest egg so that you know that even if your job were to disappear, no big deal, I’ll just retire. That is a huge stress reducer. If I have a troublesome client, I do what I need to do and if he doesn’t like it, he can go elsewhere. I no longer have to depend on his revenue to survive.

By: Daddy Paul

Daddy Paul — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 20:11:04 +0000

The results do not surprise me. People who spend most of their life working have may have no interests outside of work. I have seen a lot of retirees stand outside of the building where I once worked wanting to talk to anyone who they once worked with. Many times they have no interests and no social structure. This is very true in the auto industry where many people work 7 days a week 12 hours per day year in and year out. Many of these people do not retire because they have no idea what to do with themselves once they retire.
Before you retire have a plan on what you want to do. Not always does it work out. I had an employee retire at 55 and run a charter boat for 10 years. After 10 years he asked me if he could return to work. I needed his services for nine months and it worked out quite well.
Too many people retire and two weeks later they have run out of things to do and just die. Very sad.

By: George

George — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:48:59 +0000

@Sandra -

I have two coworkers who work because it’s more pleasant than being at home. One has parents with Alzheimers living with her and the other has young adults with crises that irritate her.

By: Sandra

Sandra — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 19:00:28 +0000

Having “retired” a few years earlier to be a stay-at-home mom have been rewarding. I do not know if I’ll live longer or shorter; perhaps shorter because I’m dealing with two boys who are 16 months apart. At times I think it’ll be easier to work outside the house than deal with the crazyness of kids. However, now that they have started school, I have more time to volunteer at the library and school which I enjoy very much. I’m sure I’ll always stay active doing something I enjoy ~ that is what retiring is about.

By: Simple in France

Simple in France — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:39:46 +0000

I think there is hardly enough research on the topic of why people live as long as they do–much less to link it with retirement. Life expectancy is a very complicated thing!

You would have so many factors to correct for . . .how many early retirees have an above average IQ? That has a correlation to life expectancy. How many early retirees had a high income, education a job with responsibility/creativity? How many have continued access to health care?

Not to mention, what did these people do after retirement?

Nope, I’m unconvinced by all these statistics–and even with statistics, life is a crap shoot. You can be in a group whose behavior is tied to longevity and die early anyway for all kinds of reasons.

I think the thing to consider is if you enjoy your life–if you are ‘living’ as you put it. Early retirement seems like one way to do that.

By: HSpencer

HSpencer — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 04:14:03 +0000

The guy or gal that retires and well, just sits down somewhere and is done—-that is not good.
Muscles not flexed like they were–thinking processes not required to function—couch, TV becomes the focus—an unnoticed depressive state of mind sets in. Any reflex or system of the body not used then reduces efficiency gradually. So, don’t retire—–refocus and in some cases increase your output and efforts in a totally new direction, less the binding obligation to an organization, or cause. Redirect your meaning to a chosen new creative field. Envision positive changes in your mental and physical processes, embrace a new excitement in your life. Negative vibrations will only lessen your well being.
The old timers had a saying: “If you rest–you rust”.

By: Sam

Sam — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:30:35 +0000

I took an on-line test that is supposed to predict life expectancy. According to it, my life expectancy increased 4 years when I stopped commuting. I don’t know how much of that is from risk of accident and how much is from healthier lifestyle.

By: Michael Crosby

Michael Crosby — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 00:06:51 +0000

Cindy’s comment is a good example. Luckily, I love my work, but not everyday.

And by not working so much, when work does come, I can throw myself into it. Yesterday, I installed a heating system and it was one of my few jobs all week. I took my time, had fun and did a good job.

It really is nice not to have to work. OTOH, I love my work and it’s a total blast. In the past though, it certainly has raised my blood pressure.

By: OurTakeOnFreedom

OurTakeOnFreedom — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:59:34 +0000

Extrapolating from that chart, you should live to ~130 and I should make it well past 150. I love statistics!

Taking a step back to reality, however, perhaps the data can be explained by controlling for salary (which could mean better health care, food, etc.)? Either way, I like the idea of setting a new record for eldest human – especially if I can do it by retiring in my 20s!

By: Michael in the Great Plains

Michael in the Great Plains — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:54:01 +0000

I think you’re correct to mention, as an important variable in stress, the meaningfulness of one’s work or engagement. We might also add, as a mirror-image element, the authentic peace of one’s inactivity. Because work can be either fulfilling or ulcer-creating (and many degrees in between), and retirement/inactivity can be either deeply peaceful, healing, and rejuvenating or boring and dissipating (and, again, many degrees in between). And, we might suspect, one’s health would be affected accordingly.

And I like the distinction you emphasize between life and living, when you write: “…it just might have cost me a decade of life, not to mention perhaps several decades of living.” It’s perhaps the most important distinction in the foundational rationale for early retirement.

By: CindyT

CindyT — Sun, 21 Feb 2010 23:18:10 +0000

My husband retired 3 yrs ago at 48, he was pre-diabetic at the time. Since then he has lost 45 lbs (we didn’t realize he was that much over weight), blood sugar and blood pressure are down, also his ulcerative colitis went away. I think he will live MUCH longer now!=)