This week’s big “Slap in the Face” Award goes out to all the researchers who, for years, told us retirement meant depression, loneliness and health issues.

You’re going to love this one!

[ad#Google Adsense 336×280-IA]New research indicates that if you want to significantly improve the quality of your life, both immediately and over the long term… just retire.

I know that’s the exact opposite of what we have been reading and hearing for years, but it comes from a working paper published by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

The folks at MarketWatch dug into the report and recently shared some surprising insights on the topic…

It seems retiring is a lot better than working (no kidding!), and the positive effects of stepping down from the work world start immediately.

And it isn’t just happiness that perks up… Some health issues improve as well. Four or more years out, you can actually see positive, long-term health changes.

And the study found that these improvements did not result from healthcare utilization.

Just dumping the stress of the day-to-day work life is a big boost.

So why did research over the past 20 or 30 years conclude that both health and happiness decline in retirement?

The researchers behind this report say the findings of the past may have been skewed by people who retired because of health problems. That could have given a misleading picture to all the research.

The bottom line? In many cases, life satisfaction improves immediately upon retirement… and the effects are long-lasting.

While the study didn’t find immediate evidence of positive health changes, it did find that significant improvements begin appearing four or more years after retirement.

I guess it takes that long to “unwind” from so much workplace satisfaction…

So, if you seem to be having more bad days than good days at work, it could be a sign. It may be time to move over and give the youngsters behind you a shot at the big time.

Ah, if only it were that easy. Don’t we wish!

Good investing,

Steve

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Source: Wealthy Retirement