Does Retiring Early Shorten Your Life?

By Steve Sandoval, Ph.D. | Founder, The Flourishing Retiree

Every few months, a new article makes its rounds claiming that people who retire early die sooner. No doubt it’s an eye-catching headline—especially if you’ve just retired or at least seriously thinking about it after that most-recent and pointless meeting that made you want to gouge your eyes out. But like many catchy headlines, it’s misleading. The truth is more nuanced, and fortunately, far less dire.

A mature couple enjoys a workout session, lifting weights with focused determination at the gym.

What the Research Actually Shows

Let’s start with the data. The most comprehensive reviews of scientific studies—those that combine and analyze results across decades of research—find no consistent evidence that retiring early causes people to die younger (Sewdas et al., 2020); but there’s a caveat.

When early retirees do show higher mortality, it’s usually because they were already in poorer health before retiring, weren’t ready to retire financially, or were forced into retirement unexpectedly. In other words, it’s not the age of retirement that matters—it’s why and how someone retires. The truth is, voluntary early retirees who have their ducks in a row and are in good health often fare just as well, and sometimes better than those who stay in the workforce longer (Jacobsen et al., 2022).

So, the “working longer, living longer” mantra sounds good, but science tells us that longevity isn’t driven by how many years you work. It’s driven mostly by the choices, habits, and relationships you carry into (and through) retirement.

The Real Drivers of Longevity

If we want to know what actually moves the needle on lifespan, regardless of age, the data are remarkably clear. Decades of longitudinal studies involving millions of people have identified a short list of behavioral and psychosocial factors that predict longevity across the globe:

• Don’t smoke. This remains the single most powerful modifiable predictor of a longer life (GBD 2023).

• Stay active. Even modest, consistent movement—think walking 30 minutes or about 5,000 steps a day—cuts all-cause mortality by 20–40% (Kraus et al., 2019).

• Eat well. A Mediterranean-style or anti-inflammatory diet reduces risk of death by roughly 10–25% (Ahmad et al., 2024). Oh, and stay away from—or at least moderate—processed foods.

• Maintain a healthy weight and manage blood pressure and glucose. These metabolic factors together drive a major share of premature mortality (van Dam et al., 2008).

• Get quality sleep. Too little or too much both shorten life; consistent, restorative sleep lengthens it (Cappuccio et al., 2010).

• Stay connected. Strong social relationships reduce mortality risk by about 50% compared to social isolation (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010).

• Have a sense of purpose or spiritual grounding. People who engage in meaningful, values-driven practices tend to live longer, even after adjusting for health and social factors (Lucchetti et al., 2011).

Notice that none of these have to do with the age of retirement. They have everything to do with how one lives—before, during, and after retirement begins.

How My Four Domains Fit the Evidence

My model at The Flourishing Retiree rests on four domains: Active Health, Relational Health, Spiritual Health, and Restful Health. The scientific literature is remarkably aligned with these dimensions. However, not all domains are created equally when it comes to its impact on overall health, and therefore, human longevity.

From a statistical standpoint, if you boiled down all the research on what helps people live longer, Active Health would come out on top. The everyday habits we know so well—moving our bodies, eating well, avoiding smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight—make the biggest difference in preventing early death (Li et al., 2018).

That said, Relational Health is right there in the mix. Decades of studies show that strong social ties—close friends, family, and community connections—can have as much impact on lifespan as quitting smoking or keeping a healthy weight (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2010). Simply put, we’re wired to thrive together.

Spiritual Health and Restful Health may not grab the same headlines, but they matter too. Getting enough sleep protects both the heart and the mind, while spiritual grounding—whatever form that takes—helps reduce stress, build resilience, and nurture a sense of belonging. Together, these quieter forces help sustain the others and create a foundation for long, healthy living.

The Takeaway

If you retire early, late, or somewhere in between, your longevity odds don’t hinge on your retirement date. And the power toward longevity in retirement is making all these domains work for you, not just one of them.

A Practical Checklist for a Longer, Healthier Life

1. Move every day. 150 minutes a week of moderate activity (walking, rowing, swimming, cycling) is a baseline, not a ceiling.

2. Eat like a Mediterranean. More plants, fruit, fish, olive oil, nuts, and fewer processed foods. Yes, red meat and sweets are fine for most, just in moderation.

3. Sleep with intention. Prioritize 7–8 hours of consistent, high-quality rest each day.

4. Stay connected. Cultivate three to five strong, reliable relationships; join groups or communities that matter to you.

5. Keep a sense of purpose. Volunteer, mentor, learn—anything that keeps you oriented toward meaning. Heck, donate a kidney to help others thrive, if you can—talk about purpose!

6. Quit smoking and moderate alcohol. No shortcuts here. The body keeps receipts.

   
   

A Final Thought

Early retirement doesn’t shorten life. Disconnection, disengagement, and disuse do. The retirees who thrive—and live longest—are those who remain curious, connected, and in motion. Retirement is not the end of productivity; it’s the beginning of vitality on your terms.

References

Sewdas, R., Oude Hengel, K. M., de Wind, A., van der Beek, A. J., & Boot, C. R. L. (2020). Association between retirement and mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis. European Journal of Epidemiology, 35(6), 569–582.

Jacobsen, R., Pedersen, J. L., & Smith, K. R. (2022). Voluntary and involuntary retirement and mortality: The role of pre-retirement health and socioeconomic status. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, 76(11), 1023–1030.

Global Burden of Disease Collaborative Network. (2023). Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 (GBD 2019) results. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).

Kraus, W. E., Powell, K. E., Haskell, W. L., Janz, K. F., Campbell, W. W., Jakicic, J. M., ... & Piercy, K. L. (2019). Physical activity, all-cause and cardiovascular mortality, and disease risk. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 51(6), 1270–1281.

Ahmad, S., Mozaffarian, D., Spiegelman, D., & Willett, W. C. (2024). Mediterranean diet adherence and risk of all-cause mortality: A meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. JAMA Network Open, 7(3), e241032.

van Dam, R. M., Li, T., Spiegelman, D., Franco, O. H., & Hu, F. B. (2008). Combined impact of lifestyle factors on mortality: Prospective cohort study in US women. BMJ, 337, a1440.

Cappuccio, F. P., D’Elia, L., Strazzullo, P., & Miller, M. A. (2010). Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep, 33(5), 585–592.

Holt-Lunstad, J., Smith, T. B., & Layton, J. B. (2010). Social relationships and mortality risk: A meta-analytic review. PLoS Medicine, 7(7), e1000316.

Lucchetti, G., Koenig, H. G., Pinsky, I., Laranjeira, R., & Vallada, H. (2011). Religiosity, spirituality and mortality: A systematic quantitative review. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 80(2), 104–113.

Li, Y., Schoufour, J., Wang, D. D., Dhana, K., Pan, A., Liu, X., ... & Hu, F. B. (2018). Impact of healthy lifestyle factors on life expectancies in the US population. Circulation, 138(4), 345–355.

Further Reading

Longevity: Lifestyle Strategies for Living a Healthy, Long Life — Harvard Health Publishing. A straightforward, research-based overview of how daily choices—nutrition, movement, sleep, and mindset—interact to influence both lifespan and health span.

Healthy Lifestyle: 5 Keys to a Longer Life — Harvard Health Blog Summarizes major findings from large-scale longitudinal studies linking five habits—healthy diet, regular physical activity, weight management, moderate alcohol use, and avoiding smoking—to significant increases in life expectancy.

Longevity — National Institute on Aging (NIA)An accessible look at NIH-funded research on the biological mechanisms of aging, current advances in extending healthy years, and practical ways to support long-term vitality.

Blue Zones: Lessons From the World’s Longest Lived (NIH / PMC). A fascinating exploration of the lifestyles shared by the world’s longest-lived populations—highlighting plant-based diets, social connection, purpose, and daily movement as common threads.

60 Minutes interview with Dr. Attia: https://youtu.be/sAWnYi4xf5g?si=lNOxIqbKf_t5T3KB