European study reveals that retirees feel less lonely over time, with new social activities and personal connections helping reduce isolation—especially for women and highly educated retirees. Study: The impact of retirement on loneliness in Europe . Image Credit: oneinchpunch / Shutterstock A study published in the journal Scientific Reports explores the causal effects of retirement on both short-term and long-term changes in loneliness in Europe.
Background Loneliness and social isolation significantly contribute to a person’s well-being. Chronic loneliness is associated with an increased risk of physical and mental illnesses and all-cause mortality. Elderly people worldwide are at the highest risk of loneliness.
The situation is more salient in Europe because of the large population of elderly citizens. The number of elderly people is expected to increase in upcoming years due to rising life expectancy and declining birth rates. Policymakers typically respond to these situations by postponing the entry into retirement so that the required funding for public pension schemes can be secured.
This study investigates retirement’s effects on loneliness to better inform these policies. Women whose partners remain in the workforce experience a short-term increase in loneliness after retirement, largely due to a feeling of lacking companionship, which gradually improves when both partners retire. Retirement is an important life event for older people that comes with a range o.
