Retirement ‘euphoria’ wearing off? Here are 5 simple ways to boost your happiness in 2025 — no matter how much money you have in your golden years

The retirement exit ramp: Are we lost yet?

It’s one thing to prepare financially for retirement yet quite another to use that money in service of a life that brings joy and meaning. Stuffing gold-plated golf clubs and a $10,000 home stereo system in the trunk of that Corvette won’t necessarily help, either — at least without proper context.

For starters, you’re not about to drive to the office and see familiar faces and collegial colleagues. That explains in part why almost 1 in 3 retirees say they feel depressed — a rate higher than that of the adult population overall, according to WebMD.

You could also file “all the free time in the world” under “too much of a good thing.” Work provides structure, so no matter how much we complain about it, its absence often creates an intimidating void.

There’s even a quasi-medical term for this: Sudden Retirement Syndrome (SRS). Though not a formal diagnosis, SRS results from the end of a regular, predictable work schedule as described by the Kendal System, a group of East Coast non-profit retirement communities based on Quaker principles.

No wonder the professor–authors cite detaching from employment as a major difficulty among the four retirement tasks, which include timing the transition, building a provisional new life and consolidating that existence.

Knowing what you’re up against might not solve the problem of deflated euphoria. But it can highlight strategies that put happiness front and center, and make life after work work for you.

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Five happiness boosters

Guess what? A happy retirement indeed requires work. These five gateways can clear the path to smooth sailing.

Take the best from work and leave the rest. Phasing out of a job gives you a prime opportunity to leave the pointless meetings and paperwork behind in favor of the activities that brought you the most fulfillment. A March 2024 report by T. Rowe Price highlights “unretiring,” which isn’t about returning to a full-time job but reclaiming the social, financial and emotional benefits of work.

Plan your life around community. We’re not talking “retirement community” as much as opportunities for social and family interaction. Released this year, the 24th Annual Transamerica Retirement Survey shows among happy retirees, nearly nine in 10 (88%) have emphasized close relationships with family and/or friends, while one in five (21%) are giving back to the community.

Start a business. The Transamerica report also points to this as a choice among satisfied retirees. In testimony before the U.S. Senate, Ewing Marion Fauffman Foundation Vice President Dane Stangler said those ages 55 to 64 accounted for nearly a quarter of all new businesses started. “Contrary to popular perception,” he noted, “entrepreneurship is not exclusive to the young and hip.”

Emphasize experiences over things. Thomas Gilovich, a psychology professor at Cornell University, spent 20 years studying what makes people happy and came to a forceful conclusion: Buy experiences, not things. Well … you could purchase that sports car, but you’ll want to plan a trip to somewhere extraordinary or even a faraway arts festival. (Travel ranks high as a happiness booster, per the Transamerica study.)

Get in the kitchen. That’s right: Cook. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, those 65 and older (as of 2020) spend an average of $28 a week on eating breakfast, lunch and dinner out, or $1,456 annually. Improving kitchen skills — and we’re not talking microwave meals, folks — not only saves money but also fosters learning and provides healthy distraction on many levels. Take cooking classes and you’ll expose yourself to others who share your passion.

And who knows? You could start a business promoting your own line of cookware. Tell your friends and family.