11–20 of 292 posts
It's really sad to not be able to enjoy downtime in my opinion.
My dad is a doctor in his 70s. He works 60 hour weeks (which he claims counts as retirement for doctors). He truly believes that true retirement is suicide. He wants to be found dead while doing rounds at the hospital.
To me the problem is that entire generations have tied their worth/sense of self into what they do from 9-5. The idea of stopping that is so anathema to them that they just can't handle it. It's really sad to not be able to enjoy downtime in my opinion.
that most people base their identity on their work; when people stop working, losing their identity, they experience faster cognitive decline.
It's not clear to me what your frame of reference is for the second premise, though. How does having or losing identity maintain or diminish cognitive decline?
EDIT: Two downvotes but no one is providing a source or some educational material to help me understand the science behind the premise. Let's be constructive here and try to educate each other. Thank you!
Both my Grandfathers retired shortly before seventy. One sat down in his Chair and did not get up. He ignored his health, and passed within 10 years.
The other is highly active in his community and church, still gardens, and travels constantly. He is in his mid 80s with no sign of slowing down. Barring a major health incident, he will live well into his 90s like his mother, and may pass 100.
Not doing anything is bad for your health, both physical and mental. The effects are exacerbated when you are older, but are still prevalent when younger.
Not only early retirement but any kind of retirement that gets the retiree in a mode that they don't have to try anymore will result in cognitive decline. I am seeing this in my dad who has been retired for ten years now. Throughout his work life he was a sharp hard working banker. Now he uses his age and retirement as an excuse for not trying. Just yesterday he wanted me to order something for him from Amazon. I tol…
The main premise here is that "those receiving pension benefits" (i.e. no longer working) have faster cognitive decline. But is there a correlation between the kind of work you did and receiving a pension? Perhaps the word "pension" means something a bit different here, but in U.S. English, we usually use it to mean a company-sponsored retirement plan, and that is something that is less common than it once was.
Could it be that if you had a job where you knew you'd get a pension, maybe you didn't have to try very hard while you were working? That is, maybe you spent the last decade coasting and taking it easy before you retired.
All of this could be invalid speculation if they just mean "retirement benefits" of any kind?
Sitting around May Speed Up Cognitive Decline. Both my Grandfathers retired shortly before seventy. One sat down in his Chair and did not get up. He ignored his health, and passed within 10 years. The other is highly active in his community and church, still gardens, and travels constantly. He is in his mid 80s with no sign of slowing down. Barring a major health incident, he will live well into his 90s like his moth…
Not only early retirement but any kind of retirement that gets the retiree in a mode that they don't have to try anymore will result in cognitive decline. I am seeing this in my dad who has been retired for ten years now. Throughout his work life he was a sharp hard working banker. Now he uses his age and retirement as an excuse for not trying. Just yesterday he wanted me to order something for him from Amazon. I tol…