People who retire early do not live longer, despite popular perception.

Many of us would like to enjoy a long and healthy retirement, pursing all those activities we never had time for when at work. Early retirement is often seen as a positive step towards this goal. And it's often assumed that the earlier you're freed from the burdens of work, the healthier you'll be. But there's been no clear evidence of this in terms of greater longevity for those who retire early.

Researchers for the petrochemical group Shell looked at over 3,500 employees in Texas who retired at 55, 60 and 65. They were monitored for up to 26 years to see if those who retired early lived longer. Those who retired at 55 actually had a higher mortality rate than those who retired at 60 and 65, which is a little surprising. Indeed, the death rate in the first 10 years for those who retired at 55 was twice as high as for those who carried on working. It could be that some of those leaving work at 55 do so because of ill health. Those who retired at 60 and 65 had similar mortality rates. Clearly this is an issue worthy of further investigation.

Source

BMJ Online First 22nd October 2005