Researchers surveyed psychology, sociology and economics literature on work and wellbeing. They examined unemployed people, retirees, lottery winners and dependent spouses. Studies covered OECD countries, China, India and Gulf states. They identified three factors shaping wellbeing without paid work. Agency and choice in leaving work matters most. Alternative sources of work’s latent benefits also influence wellbeing. Social and systemic context, including safety nets, plays a key role. The paper links these factors to AI automation scenarios. It derives policy implications from the findings.