Many people count down to the day they can finally pack in their job and settle down to retire.
But if you’re an extrovert, a new study may cause you to be more wary about giving up work.
Scientists from Kasetsart University in Bangkok have found key links between different personality traits and reaction to retirement.
Their findings suggest that extroverts tend to find it harder to cope after exiting the workforce, while conscientious people are more likely to enjoy packing it in early.
While millennials often get a bad rep, a new study suggests that when it comes to greenhouse gas emissions, it’s baby boomers who are the ‘bad guys’.
Researchers from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology have revealed that people over 60 are now responsible for a third of global greenhouse gas emissions and are likely at the top of the emissions ladder.
New elderly
‘Older people used to be thrifty. The generation that experienced World War II was careful about how they used resources. The “new elderly” are different,’ said Professor Edgar Hertwich, an author of the study.
Previous studies have focused on how different exit paths – such as mandatory or voluntary retirement – are linked to subsequent life satisfaction.
However, until now, little research has been done on how these associations may vary depending on people’s personality traits.
In their new study, the team analysed data from a survey of more than 2,000 British adults aged 50-75.
The survey questions were designed to assess their levels of the ‘Big Five’ personality traits - extroversion, agreeableness, openness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism.
They were also asked about their exit path from their job, their life satisfaction after leaving, and whether or not they planned to work again.
An analysis of the results revealed that people who scored highly for conscientiousness were more likely to say they were satisfied with their life after early retirement.
Conversely, people who scored highly for extroversion were more likely to say they were dissatisfied with their life, income and leisure after retiring.
‘Psychological buffer’
The researchers suggest that conscientiousness may act as a ‘psychological buffer’, with people who scored highly for this trait being more proactive at finding new ways to fulfil their lives.
Extroverts, on the other hand, might miss social relationships they had at work, according to the researchers. The researchers hope the findings could be used to develop interventions and policies to boost the wellbeing of ageing adults.
In their study, published in PLOS ONE, the researchers, led by Dusanee Kesavayuth, wrote: ‘Our study uncovered associations between the routes people took to exit their jobs and their subsequent satisfaction with life, income, and leisure.
‘These associations varied according to people’s personality traits.
‘Conscientious individuals were more proactive in finding new fulfilling life patterns.’ The researchers suggest that conscientiousness may act as a ‘psychological buffer’, with people who scored highly for this trait being more proactive at finding new ways to fulfil their lives (stock image)
The study comes shortly after researchers claimed that early retirement is bad for your health.
Benefits
Researchers at Germany’s Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science found that working up to the age of 67, when most Americans retire, slows their cognitive decline and can help against diseases such as Alzheimer’s and other diseases that can negatively impact a person’s cognitive functions.
Remarkably, the findings show that a person will benefit working longer, regardless of their gender, education level or level of job complexity.
‘Our study suggests that there may be a fortuitous unintended consequence of postponed retirement,’ the study’s co-author, Angelo Lorenti, said.
- Daily Mail.UK