Study: Happy retirees live longer

For a long and healthy retirement, your finances should be in good condition. But a good emotional condition may be even more important to a long and healthy life.

Researchers from the University of Western Ontario and the Yale School of Public Health concluded that people with a positive attitude toward retirement lived longer than those with a negative attitude. The study, which followed about 400 participants for 23 years, found that those who said they enjoyed retirement lived nearly five years longer than those who were unhappy in retirement. The results remained the same even after the study adjusted for health, social and economic factors.

The researchers noted that their findings suggested that psychological planning for retirement "is as important as the more traditional forms of planning."