Retiring after 65 would increase life expectancy and reduce the risk of death, while leaving work early increases the risk of dying early.
” Work is health. To do nothing is to keep it ”. This famous song by Henri Salvador, taken up by all fans of idleness, is contradicted by an American study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health. Working after 65 could lengthen life, while retiring early would be a risk factor for early mortality, according to this work published this Thursday, April 28, World Day for Safety and Health at Work.
The retirement age is the subject of debate, sometimes fierce, in many countries. In France, reforms have been multiplying for years to maintain the sustainability of our system. To benefit from their retirement, workers therefore have to work longer. But for researchers at Oregon State University, raising the retirement age does not mean a poorer quality of life.
Work keeps death away
To reach this conclusion, the research team examined the health data of nearly 3,000 retirees collected in 1992 and 2010. These were divided into 2 groups: seniors in poor health or self-described as such (a third of the sample), and those who said they were or were objectively in good health (the remaining two-thirds).
During the period studied, 12% of seniors in good health and a quarter of retirees in poor health died. According to the researchers’ analysis, healthy workers who retired at age 66 have a reduced risk of death of 11% compared to 9% for those in poor health. Researchers suggest that working an extra year after 65 has a positive impact on mortality, regardless of health status. “These results seem to show that people who stay active benefit,” notes Robert Stawski, one of the authors.
Encourage part-time
However, researchers recognize that the link between work and health is still a source of questions. In fact, the older people get, the more their physical and mental health declines, which can affect their ability to work and their longevity.
So how can you stay efficient at your job while staying in good health? Choosing to work part-time after 40 is one of the possible solutions, according to one australian study published last week. This work, carried out on 6,500 people, shows that working 25 hours a week helps maintain good cognitive and cerebral function, while working more than 40 hours leads to fatigue and stress which accelerates cognitive decline. Finally, Henri Salvador may not be so wrong. “Prisoners of work don’t make old bones,” he crooned.
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