Postponing the planned date for retirement can have a positive impact on a worker’s healthy behaviors. Even a one-year postponement of the planned retirement age increases the likelihood of exercising regularly as well as refraining from smoking and drinking regularly. It may also lead to lower consumption of red meat, lower consumption of soft drinks and less prevalence of obesity.

The findings come from an analysis of Italian men between the ages of 40 and 49. Italy provided a unique example because a series of Social Security reforms raised both the minimum age and the minimum number of work years required to claim benefits. The specific age range was chosen because it includes individuals who were not eligible for retirement benefits, but also not too far from the date at which they would be eligible.

The researchers estimate that a one-year increase in the number of expected working years leads to a 5.9% increase in practicing sports regularly and an approximate 2% decrease in the probability of smoking or drinking regularly. The study’s authors described these findings as being “statistically significant.” They also found the probability of being satisfied with one’s health increases with a lengthened time to retirement.

Whether or not there was a corresponding change in savings behaviors was not determined by the analysis. If it had been, it would have shown a stronger causal link between changes in workers’ lifestyles and an elongation in the number of work years required to receive benefits. Nonetheless, the evidence suggests that workers do adjust to expectations of a longer career in a manner that is positive for their well-being.

There are benefits to working longer. A 2013 study found that those who retired early incurred an increased probability of adverse physical and mental health conditions (“Postpone Retirement for Your Health,” AAII Journal, June 2013.) A longer career makes it easier to postpone claiming Social Security benefits, which, in the U.S., increase each year they are delayed between the ages of 62 and 70. A longer career also provides more years of salary, which can both boost savings and decrease the number of years in which savings are not tapped.

Source: “Does Postponing Minimum Retirement Age Improve Healthy Behaviours Before Retirement? Evidence From Middle-Aged Italian Workers,” Marco Bertoni, Giorgio Brunello and Gianluca Mazzarella, Iza Discussion Paper Series, March 2016.