The Secret to a Long Life

The one social factor that researchers agree is consistently linked to longer lives in every country where it has been studied is education. It is more important than race; it obliterates any effects of income. . . . A few extra years of school is associated with extra years of life and vastly improved health decades later, in old age.

Yes, The New York Times reports that the correlation between education and longevity is stronger than any other factor, including money and health insurance. Of course, other factors are important, too, such as not smoking, living within a network of family and friends, and having a job that supplies autonomy. But Michael Grossman, a health economist at the City University of New York, says, "If you were to ask me what affects health and longevity, . . . I would put education at the top of my list."

Read all about it at the NYTimes: A Surprising Secret to a Long Life: Stay in School.