abstract: 'Objectives While the health effects of retirement have been well

  studied, existing findings remain inconclusive, and the mechanisms

  underlying the linkage between retirement and health are unclear. Thus,

  this study aimed to evaluate the effects of retirement on health and its

  potential mediators. Methods Using a national household survey conducted

  annually from 2004 to 2019 in Japan (the Japan Household Panel Survey),

  we evaluated the effects of retirement among Japanese men aged 50 or

  older on their health, in addition to other outcomes that could be

  attributed to health changes associated with retirement (i.e., health

  behaviors, psychological well-being, time use for unpaid activities, and

  leisure activities). As outcomes are not measured every year, we

  analyzed 5,794-10,682 person-year observations for 975-1,469 unique

  individuals. To address the potential endogeneity of retirement, we

  adopted an instrumental variable fixed-effects approach based on policy

  changes in eligibility ages for employee pensions. Results We found that

  retirement improved psychological well-being, exercise habits, and time

  spent on unpaid work. The psychological benefits of retirement were no

  longer observed for longer durations after retirement, whereas healthy

  habits and unpaid activities continued. Moreover, health-related

  improvements after retirement occurred mostly in the higher-income

  group. Discussion Enhancement in personal quality of life owing to

  increased leisure time and stress reduction from work in addition to

  lifestyle changes may be key to understanding the health benefits of

  retirement. Considering the mechanisms behind retirement-health

  relationships and potential heterogeneous effects is essential for

  healthy postretirement lives when increasing the retirement age.'
affiliation: 'Okamoto, S (Corresponding Author), Tokyo Metropolitan Inst Gerontol,
  Res Team Social Participat \& Community Hlth, Itabashi Ku, 35-2 Sakae Cho, Tokyo
  1730015, Japan.

  Okamoto, Shohei; Kobayashi, Erika, Tokyo Metropolitan Inst Gerontol, Res Team Social
  Participat \& Community Hlth, Tokyo, Japan.

  Okamoto, Shohei, Natl Ctr Global Hlth \& Med, Inst Global Hlth Policy Res, Tokyo,
  Japan.

  Komamura, Kohei, Keio Univ, Res Ctr Financial Gerontol, Tokyo, Japan.

  Komamura, Kohei, Keio Univ, Fac Econ, Tokyo, Japan.'
author: Okamoto, Shohei and Kobayashi, Erika and Komamura, Kohei
author-email: sokamoto@tmig.or.jp
author_list:
- family: Okamoto
  given: Shohei
- family: Kobayashi
  given: Erika
- family: Komamura
  given: Kohei
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1093/geronb/gbac127
earlyaccessdate: AUG 2022
eissn: 1758-5368
files: []
issn: 1079-5014
journal: 'JOURNALS OF GERONTOLOGY SERIES B-PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCES AND SOCIAL

  SCIENCES'
keywords: 'Causal inference; Employment; Health disparities; Health outcomes;

  Retirement'
keywords-plus: 'LABOR-MARKET OUTCOMES; CARE UTILIZATION; AGE; IMPACT; EMPLOYMENT;

  BEHAVIORS; VALUES; TIME'
language: English
month: JAN 28
number: '1'
number-of-cited-references: '56'
orcid-numbers: 'Kobayashi, Erika/0000-0002-6333-7810

  Okamoto, Shohei/0000-0002-8580-5291'
pages: 167-178
papis_id: 8c827c04acf1e6ddb9d19c1119f54d7c
ref: Okamoto2023retirementhealthpuzz
times-cited: '0'
title: 'The Retirement-Health Puzzle: A Sigh of Relief at Retirement?'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000869275800001
usage-count-last-180-days: '3'
usage-count-since-2013: '11'
volume: '78'
web-of-science-categories: 'Geriatrics \& Gerontology; Gerontology; Psychology; Psychology,

  Multidisciplinary'
year: '2023'