Positive psychologists such as Csikszentmihalyi point out that the key to happiness is to be actively involved in your life. Whereas sitting around doing very little can be a drain. It is not surprising therefore to learn of the recent findings of a study on retirees carried out at the University of Maryland, in the US. 12,189 participants aged between 51 and 61 years at the start of the study were interviewed every two years over a six year period. Those people who continued to do temporary or part-time work in retirement had better health and quality of life compared to those fully retired. Mental health improvements were also found if the work was similar to what was carried out in their previous career. No mental health improvements were found if the job was unrelated. So the lessons are: consider doing some work during retirement, preferably related to your career, else take up a hobby that is engaging and engrossing.