Why Life Gets Better after Age 50, for Some: Mental Well-Being and the Social Norm of Work

• 成果类型: Article; Early Access
• 署名作者: van de Kraats, Coen; Galama, Titus; Lindeboom, Maarten; Deng, Zichen
• 署名单位: Erasmus University Rotterdam; Erasmus University Rotterdam - Excl Erasmus MC; Tinbergen Institute; Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam; Monash University; Monash University; University of Amsterdam; University of Amsterdam
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF LABOR ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0734-306X
• DOI: 10.1086/737772
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: EURO-D SCALE; depressive symptoms; HEALTH; unemployment; retirement; happiness

摘要

We provide evidence that the social norm (expectation) that adults work has a substantial detrimental causal effect on the mental well-being of unemployed men in midlife, as substantial as, for example, the detriment of being widowed. As their peers in age retire and the social norm weakens, the mental well-being of the unemployed improves. Using data on individuals aged 50 and over from 10 European countries, we identify the social norm of work effect using exogenous variation in the earliest eligibility age for old-age public pensions across countries and birth cohorts.