Survey Finds Working Has Positive Effect on Mental, Physical Health in Older Adults

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Key Takeaways

Adults 65+ report significant positive impacts on physical and mental health from continued work, compared to those aged 50-64.
Financial stability, social connections, and a sense of purpose are primary motivators for older adults to continue working.
Employers can support older workers by offering flexible work policies and valuing their contributions to enhance well-being.
Remote and hybrid work is more common among those with higher education and income, impacting work-life balance and health.

Adults 65 years and older reported that working had positive impacts on both their mental and physical health compared with those aged 50 to 64 years.

Positive impacts on both physical and mental health as well as overall well-being were found in adults 65 years and older who continued to work, according to a new survey conducted by Michigan Medicine at the University of Michigan.¹ Adults aged 50 to 64 years reported less positive impact of working.

The survey, the University of Michigan National Poll on Healthy Aging,² included adults 50 years and older. The survey was conducted in August 2024. A total of 42% of the participants were currently working, 43% were retired, and 15% were not working for a reason other than retirement. Participants reported working full-time in 78% of the cases in those who were still working, and 83% worked for an employer that wasn’t themselves.

Fully remote working was reported in 15% of those who were still working, a fully in-person job was reported by 69% of the participants, and 17% worked in a hybrid system. Fully remote and hybrid work was more often reported in those with at least a bachelor’s degree and a household income of $60,000 or more.

Older adults working reported physical and mental health benefits to working | Image credit: Tinashe Njaku/peopleimages.com - stock.adobe.com

A positive impact on physical health was reported by 67% of the adults 50 years and older who were still working, with 18% reporting a very positive impact and 49% reporting a somewhat positive impact. A negative impact was reported by 33% of the participants. A very positive impact was more often reported in adults 65 years and older compared with those aged 50 to 64 years (32% vs 14%), with 71% of workers believing that working kept them physically active.

A positive impact on mental health was also reported in 71% of the participants, with 24% believing it had a very positive impact and 47% believing it had a somewhat positive impact. A total of 29% believed it to have a negative impact on their mental health. Workers aged 50 to 64 years were less likely to say that their work had a positive impact on their mental health compared with those 65 years and older (20% vs 41%).

Work’s impact on overall well-being was perceived as positive in 78% of those who were working compared with 22% who said it had a negative impact. Participants who were 65 years and older were more likely to report a positive impact on overall well-being compared with those aged 50 to 64 years (39% vs 21%). A total of 92% of all workers said that they were able to take time off work for health care appointments, but adults who had poor or fair mental health were less likely to be able to take time off of work for health care appointments.

Financial stability (78%), saving for retirement (65%), access to health insurance (59%), and supporting family members financially (52%) were the reasons for working that were reported by more than half of the participants. Contributing to society, maximizing Social Security benefits, and having a sense of purpose were also reported in this cohort as reasons to continue to work. Keeping the brain sharp (46%), helping to stay focused (30%), maintaining social connections (30%), and learning new skills (27%) were among the reported benefits of working.

“As we learn more about how loneliness, lack of social connection and isolation intertwine with physical and mental health in older adults, the role of work is important to consider,” poll director Jeffrey Kullgren, MD, MPH, MS, a primary care physician at the VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System and associate professor of internal medicine at University of Michigan, said in a statement.¹

The conductors of this survey concluded that older adults who want to or need to work derived benefits from doing so, primarily in the form of making a positive impact on their overall well-being as well as their physical and mental health. Employers can better help to support these older workers in the workforce by allowing them time off to go to health care appointments and “can help older adults feel engaged and valued in the workplace by fully utilizing older adults’ skills and implementing policies and programs that help people continue to work across ages and life stages…,” the survey investigators wrote.

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