You have to retire at some point so prepare for it. Some people do indeed not cope well.

Absolutely. But most retirement planning doesn’t cover 40-60 years of time. Most retirement planning also assumes a period of time when a person is gradually losing their ability to fully engage with society.

It’s a whole different ballgame when the period of time involves a person’s “peak” years. Many people have a drive that they haven’t yet satisfied in their 20s/30s/40s. This isn’t to say this drive can’t be channeled into something other than a traditional job. I’m just saying we don’t currently have societal structures and norms such that an entire population will know what to do.