57% of Unhappy Retirees Have Zero Adventure Hobbies. One Happy Retiree Scuba Dives 5 to 6 Weeks a Year
Wes Moss surveyed thousands of retirees and found a striking pattern separating the happy ones from the miserable ones, and it has nothing to do with their savings rate or Social Security strategy.
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Retirement author Wes Moss found in the survey behind his book The Retire Sooner Method that 57% of unhappy retirees have zero adventure-related core interests. Happy retirees in Wes Moss’s research average 1.9 adventure interests, compared with just 1.2 for unhappy retirees.
At the far end of that range, Wes Moss quotes one person who scuba dives five to six weeks a year: “I love viewing wonderful coral reefs off the southern Gulf of California.”
For readers in their fifties and sixties, this is practical. Most retirement planning focuses on withdrawal rates and Social Security timing. Moss’s data suggests you can hit every savings target and still end up unhappy if nothing on your calendar gets you out of the house.
Moss Has This One Right
Moss’s advice holds up, and it’s easier to follow than the scuba story makes it sound. Adventure accounts for more than 15% of what retirees say brings them the most joy. That makes it the second-biggest category, behind creative interests at more than 20%.
A survey shows correlation, so healthier or richer retirees may simply find adventure easier. The time data still points one way. Happy retirees spend 18.6 hours a week on core interests, while unhappy retirees spend 13.2 hours. That gap equals 280+ extra hours per year, or 7 work weeks spent on chosen activities.
His target is at least 2.5 hours a day on activities you love.
Adventure Can Start at a Local Boat Ramp
The first concern is cost; the second is your knees. Moss defines adventure broadly. Travel came up most often, as one person said: “Traveling whenever possible. It brings me joy.”
RVing showed up often, usually along with camping and visiting national parks. The list also includes fishing, boating, horseback riding and kayaking on local rivers and lakes. Motorcycling made it too: “riding my Harley,” said one leather-clad grandpa.
Other happy retirees named bird-watching, bass fishing, going to the beach and rock hunting. One explained, “I tumble rocks and eventually make jewelry.” Moss sums it up this way: “Adventure is personal. It’s a blank page for you to fill however you like.”
He also counts day trips to small towns and photography walks in local parks. What matters is novelty. Diving in Mexico falls on the expensive end, a kayak rental on a nearby river on the cheap end, and both count.
Moss takes listener questions at wesmoss.com/ask and lays out his retirement framework in The Retire Sooner Method.
Why a Date on the Calendar Matters Most
Moss credits anticipatory happiness, which he describes as “the joy you feel looking forward to something exciting.” Adventures also create stories and memories. One trip makes you happy three times: planning it, being on it, and telling people about it.
This ties into his wider research on core interests, which he calls “hobbies on steroids” because they’re “so much more than playing Solitaire at night.” Happy retirees average five or more core interests. Past that point, one activity tends to lead to another, which Moss calls a “core pursuit cascade.”
When You Start Makes the Difference
Timing matters most. Moss writes, “You can’t manufacture meaning overnight, but you can cultivate it gradually while you still have the energy and structure that work provides.”
Picture two 60-year-olds retiring at 65. One spends those years trying kayaking, camping and national parks, then stays with what works. That person retires with gear, skills, companions and a trip booked. The other starts with an empty calendar on day one. Moss compares that to “waiting until you’re thirsty to dig a well.”
Build Your First Adventure Before Your Last Workday
- Count how many adventure interests you have now. Wes Moss’s benchmark is the 1.9 average among happy retirees, so if you have zero or one, you look more like his unhappy group.
- Try one low-cost adventure each season this year, like a kayak rental, a night at a state park campsite or a day trip to a town you’ve never visited. Do the ones you like again.
- Book your next outing before the current one is over. Always having a date on the calendar is what keeps that looking-forward feeling going between trips.
- Find someone to go with. Moss found that retirees mostly described their adventures as trips with partners or friends, and a standing plan with someone else is harder to skip.
- Add your chosen activity to your retirement income plan as its own line item. Weeks of diving and a monthly fishing trip cost very different amounts, and your withdrawal rate should match the one you choose.
Get one adventure on your calendar while you still have a paycheck, because the happy retirees in Moss’s data are the ones with something to look forward to.
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Jake has been been working in financial media for almost 15 years. He focuses on all things personal finance for 24/7 Wall St. with high hopes to educate and entertain. Most recently, Jake spent 12 years working various roles at The Motley Fool. He started copy editing fool.com content, worked on premium and marketing campaigns, and helped launch The Ascent, a personal finance brand.
His work has been featured on platforms like MSN, Yahoo Finance, USA Today, and more. He's written about credit cards, social security, ETFs, savings accounts, and just about anything else you can imagine when thinking about money. Jake love to cook, play golf, and tell people he's never had a cavity. (It's true!)
