Retirement can have an impact not only on finances but also on health, according to a new study published in the Journal of Human Resources, which found that it can be good for you.
"The results indicate that the retirement effect on health is beneficial and significant," wrote Michael Insler, and assistant professor of economics at the U.S. Naval Academy.
The study showed that the boost to your health is comparable to reducing the risk of being diagnosed with diabetes by 25 percent for those of retirement age.
Recommended For You
Insler said that his conclusion may be counterintuitive because it is commonly believed that retirement can lead people to lose their will to go on.
Instead, he found that retirees have more time to invest in their physical well-being.
Insler based his findings on an analysis of data from the University of Michigan Health and Retirement Study sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, which surveys a representative sample of 26,000 Americans over age 50 every other year.
He found that among the respondents who reported ever smoking, about 69 percent said they did so in the survey that took place two to four years before they retired. But just 56 percent said they were still smoking two to four years after they retired.
Insler also found that retirees were more likely to exercise for at least 30 minutes three or more days a week. Two to four years before retirement, about 48 percent of respondents said they exercised that much, while 52 percent two to four years into retirement said they did so.
He did note, though, that it is difficult to predict the health benefits of retirement on individuals. He said he was trying to calculate an average impact for a population.
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
