The Psychology of Retirement: Coping with the Transition from Work

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Conclusions

Happiness is not the absence of problems, but the ability to deal with them.1

In this final chapter I want to conclude my account of retirement by discussing what many would regard as its goal: happiness. When Britain's Prime Minister, David Cameron, launched his “happiness index” in November 2010, he announced that his government would henceforth measure quality of life alongside the traditional indicators, such as economic growth. Happiness is to be assessed in terms of people's health, education, and environment, to offer a more comprehensive assessment “of measuring a country's progress.”2 I rejoice at the Prime Minister's wisdom. Like sleep, happiness has an elusive quality when we try to control it, yet it is something for which we yearn, so how can we best foster it? I will look at the traditional answer, wealth, consider several other factors, but dwell on wisdom as a more achievable goal. After presenting the case study of Dominic, who found his happiness in racing cars, I will summarize the essence of my RECIPE for successful retirement, drawing on the material within the whole book.

To set the scene, recall that the traditional view of ageing is fairly pessimistic. Thankfully, public perceptions of the older adult have become more positive in recent times, but there are undoubtedly some major obstacles to happiness during retirement. While life expectancy has risen dramatically over the last few centuries (with the anticipation that this trend will continue ...