Choosing when to leave work shapes long-term happiness, study finds

A 2020 Hungarian study found that retirees who left work voluntarily reported higher life satisfaction than those who were forced out, and the gap persisted for eight to eleven years. Related research suggests that building a new role identity and maintaining multiple active social groups aid long-term adjustment, whereas over-reliance on the old workplace identity can hinder wellbeing. The voluntariness effect may vary by country and context, so it’s not a universal rule, but the findings highlight the lasting impact of control over retirement and social structure on happiness.