Older people who feel they have a purpose in life are significantly less likely to suffer a stroke than those with few objectives, research has found. Researchers in Michigan studied 6,739 men and women over 50 and found that those who scored highly for “directedness” – who felt their lives had meaning and who had clear goals for the future – were 22% less likely to suffer a stroke than those who lacked a sense of purpose, says The Daily Telegraph. The researchers speculate that setting aims in life encourages people to adopt healthy habits; or it could be that positive thinking has a protective effect.

Blindingly obvious, wouldn’t you say? And yet there are hordes of men (in particular) who reach retirement and have failed to work out what they will do with it. Personally, I couldn’t wait to get out of the business world, which only served as a means to the end of feeding wife and family, spiced with the odd exotic business trip from time to time. But those with more interesting jobs have more of a problem leaving them.

Epicurus would advocate starting out on retirement (at the very least) with a period of contemplation and reflection in a real or notional Garden. He would have you do it with the input of friends in order to calm the soul and ponder what is really important in life. In the process good thoughts can occur. Rushing into things and possibly floundering is un-Epicurean. Take time. But take up something absorbing.