Unemployed People's Wellbeing Rises at Retirement Age: Social Norms Shape the Psychology of Work
scychan_brains · x · 2026-09-22
Point 3: societal norms matter enormously for wellbeing.
A striking example: unemployed people's wellbeing increases when they reach retirement age — even without changes in income or routine. The stigma of non-work is lifted simply by aging out of the 'working age' bracket. Counterintuitively, unemployed persons in regions with higher overall unemployment also report higher wellbeing, pointing again to norms.
This suggests potential positive futures where the majority doesn't work and expectations shift. But we should still expect negative wellbeing effects during partial displacement or while existing norms persist.
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