The 3.6 Core Pursuits Of Happy Retirees: A Case For Curiosity

A survey of nearly 2,000 American retirees conducted for What The Happiest Retirees Know revealed insights into their habits and behaviors. No topic was off limits, even those often seen as taboo: money, social media, sex, love, faith, and diet. The responses were candid and transformative for anyone willing to use them as a guide for their own retirement.

One clear throughline was that a lack of curiosity does not seem to bode well for retirement happiness. An inquisitive, adventurous spirit appears to be the special sauce as long as it’s channeled and catalyzed in a healthy way. This intrepid mindset often materializes as a robust list of core pursuits.

Core Pursuits

What is a core pursuit? It’s a hobby on steroids. If a hobby is reading each monthly issue of American Fencing magazine, a core pursuit is starting a podcast called “En Garde” that charts the latest breaking news within the United States Fencing Association. Core pursuits are the “super activities” that inspire, elate, and electrify your days.

In fact, the word pursuit and the word purpose share a common thread—they’re both about moving forward with intention. Your core pursuits play a huge role in helping you find and establish daily purpose in retirement. Whether it’s playing music, gardening, or hitting the pickleball court, these pursuits give you direction and joy, helping to create a fulfilling, purpose-filled life every single day.

It should also be noted that core pursuits aren’t simply for retirees. They’re also essential to people in their thirties, forties, and fifties for many reasons, particularly their ability to create a more fluid retirement transition. The earlier you develop them, the better. They can even provide a specific purpose for money, which tends to help folks save and invest with more intention.

Our survey found that the happiest retirees averaged 3.6 core pursuits, while the least happy retirees logged only 1.9. These avocations can take many shapes—traveling, golf, time with family, snowboarding, knitting, hunting, gardening, fishing, church choir, college football, crossword puzzles, theater, cycling, and walking. In short, almost any activity imaginable can become a core pursuit. The specific nature of the activity is less consequential than the mere engagement in one. For those having trouble deciding, this core pursuit finder might help. It’s a simple and powerful way to kickstart curiosity.

Retirees can even start a side business as a core pursuit if it’s on their own terms. There’s nothing wrong with an additional revenue stream heaping purpose onto the pleasure pile.

Volunteering

The data from the survey showed the most popular core pursuit was volunteering, and an abundance of statistics back up the benefits of that choice.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau and AmeriCorps, adults aged 55 and above “. . . play a significant role in the U.S. volunteer workforce, with data suggesting they represent about 33% of all formal volunteers annually.” In other words, while volunteering clearly helps those on the receiving end, it also seems to offer rich social, mental, and physical benefits to the giver as well, and retirees aren’t taking that opportunity for granted.

Research from the Stanford Center on Longevity found that “Older adults who engage in volunteering report significant boosts in happiness and mental health.” Studies also noted that volunteering among older adults is associated with lower risks of hypertension, enhanced cognition, and delayed physical disability.”

Another study by the Greater Good Science Center at the University of California, Berkeley, showed that “. . . individuals aged 55–74 particularly benefit from volunteering because it provides opportunities for social connection and purposeful engagement after retirement.” It even compared the happiness boost to a financial increase of about $1,100 annually in terms of psychological impact.

If you’re in the process of picking core pursuits, volunteering is a win-win for many people.

Physical Activity

While reading Russian literature or studying Martin Scorsese’s oeuvre can both count as core pursuits, personal health demands some degree of physical activity. Running marathons is not required, but the American Heart Association found that “. . . . staying active can delay or prevent chronic illnesses and extend life expectancy by promoting healthier years as we age.” Furthermore, Harvard’s Nutrition Source underscores that regular movement can lower the risk of premature death by combating sedentary behaviors and boosting cardiovascular health.”

If exercise isn’t a natural passion, there’s no obligation to make it the central focus of your primary endeavors, but there’s no way around the fact that staying active matters. Find something physical to be curious about. Is pickleball all it’s cracked up to be? Do people really play underwater hockey? Is that old roller rink still open on Saturdays? The more you explore, the better your chance of finding a connection that keeps you moving.

Failure Equals Success

Some may feel intimidated by the prospect of picking a core pursuit for fear of choosing the “wrong” one. They don’t realize​​ that the pursuit of a new passion can enrich your life, and the inevitable slips and stumbles are phenomenal learning opportunities—both about the activity and yourself.

Best-selling author and journalist Tom Vanderbilt says the lesson is simple: pick something new and dive in without fear. His book, Beginners: The Joy and Transformative Power of Lifelong Learning, described his yearlong quest for learning purely for the sake of learning. From exuberantly singing Spice Girls songs in an amateur choir to losing chess games to eight-year-olds to dodging scorpions at a surf camp in Costa Rica, he tackled five main skills. Along the way, he interviewed dozens of experts about the fascinating psychology and science behind the benefits of becoming an adult beginner.

Anyone wondering if it’s important to suffer through those first awkward steps would be well-served to see the joy and growth it brought to Tom’s life. He concluded that the zigzagging exploration was even more gratifying than the proficiency gained.

The Bottom Line

A happy retirement doesn’t just happen. If you swing your first tennis racquet at age seventy-three, expect to have that many double faults. It’s never too late, but remember that you have to serve one within the lines before you can think about winning the point, game, set, or match. No matter how far away you are from retirement, now is the time to get curious. Jump in and try something new. You can always swap out one core pursuit for another if things don’t work out. The trial and error process is constructive; eventually, you’ll land on something that makes you feel alive, happy, and healthy.

Curiosity is the key to happiness in retirement, and core pursuits are effective vehicles for discovery, but they must be cultivated, strengthened, and expanded over time. Like long-term stocks, the sooner you invest, the more time the gains have to accrue. Start depositing now so you can reap the benefits later.