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One of the core components of a satisfying retirement is independence.

Retirement facilitates gaining a sense of control to promote physical and mental health.

Establishing new routines promotes newfound independence.

Those who love their jobs joke that they have not “worked” a day in their lives. Yet for most of us, we work to live, not the other way around. Yet as we age, priorities change. Older adults may decide to spend more time with loved ones and less time laboring for a paycheck. Our legacy becomes more about leaving the world a better place, not how many hours we worked. This positive attitude change impacts the way we approach retirement.

The Independence of Retirement

Researchers have studied multiple facets of retirement over the years, seeking to explore the factors that predict happiness as well as health once we exit the working world.[I] Yet some results are more relevant than others in predicting retirement satisfaction.

Anastasia Fadeeva et al. (2025) studied the factors involved in making the transition from working to retirement, focusing on positive adaptation and adjustment.[ii] Studying retired adults ranging in age from 58 to 82 who worked in both manual and........

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