Bad times make you live longer
Those who can find a silver lining in any storm cloud can celebrate this upside to a down economy.
When the philosopher Friedrich Neitzsche said, "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger," he certainly wasn't talking about high unemployment, a depressed housing market and plummeting stock values. (And when Kelly Clarkson sang "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," she wasn't either.) But it seems that one upside of a down economy is that people live longer.
Sure, it sounds counterintuitive -- wouldn't the stress alone shorten life expectancies? -- but preliminary data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (.pdf file) suggests that's not the case.
The age-adjusted death rate in the U.S. actually decreased by 2% between 2007 and 2010, and life expectancy at birth increased 0.8 years, from 77.9 years in 2007 to 78.7 years in 2010. Between 2004 and 2007, when the economy was stronger, it increased by only 0.4 years nationwide, Peter Orszag wrote for Bloomberg. (Post continues below.)
Furthermore, when you break out the statistics by state, life expectancy has actually increased more in those states that have had higher rates of unemployment, such as Michigan and Illinois, whereas states with the smallest increase in unemployment have seen their death rates rise, Bloomberg said.
History backs the research
Before you assume that the data have nothing to do with the economy, consider this: Life expectancy also rose during the Great Depression, according to University of Michigan research (.pdf file) by José A. Tapia Granados and Ana V. Diez Roux.
"The evolution of population health during the years 1920-1940 confirms the counterintuitive hypothesis that, as in other historical periods and market economies, population health tends to evolve better during recessions than in expansions," they conclude.
Furthermore, research (.pdf file) by economists from the University of California-Davis shows that an increase of 1% in a state's unemployment rate corresponds to a 0.54% decline in that state's death rates.
How can this be true?
Economist Christopher Ruhm of the University of Virginia has done a number of studies on the ways that a recession is good for one's health (or why, as one of his papers is titled "A Healthy Economy Can Break Your Heart").
His research indicates that suicide rates increase during economic downturns, but deaths from other causes, such as traffic fatalities and heart attacks, actually decrease. This may be because when fewer people are driving to work, there is less air pollution and traffic, Bloomberg says, adding that Ruhm also found declining rates of smoking and obesity.
More on MSN Money:
- Calculator:Am I saving enough for retirement?
Maybe the reason there are less deaths during an economic downturn, is because less people are going to work every day... They have more time for socializing... going to the park, going for a walk, spending time with friends and family, playing games, playing with a pet...
Maybe the headline should read... Is Your Job Killing You?
Adversity strengthens, ease weakens. I've been telling you this for many years.
The strange thing is that the author thinks it's counter-intuitive. Isn't it obvious that lack of stress causes bone loss, muscle loss, range of motion loss, loss of mental acuity and obesity? Returning residents of the space station are practically bedridden. What does you more good, lying on the couch or a walk in the park, watching tv or working a crossword puzzle?
Use it or lose it.
Although I'd counter-argue that the increased stress from a 'down economy' is responsible for a higher mortality rate in the short term (suicide, heart attacks, stroke), there is a lot of medical evidence to support the idea that eating less garbage and working a bit harder will in fact increase life expectantcy.
Unfortunately, the old school saying that 'hard work is it's own reward' has yet to take root in generation X (or Y for that matter). Instead, these kids have and will opt to take the easiest way out of everything, (including picking less physically demanding jobs) but very few will ever make up for that through any type of 'genuine' physical activity. The end result of which is the deterioration of physical and mental health. Big surprise there.
But then again, I'd also expect to see less people sticking to a healthy diet durring a recession because healthier foods cost more- which should have an opposite effect.
"Bad times make you live longer"
Figures...just my luck. Reminds me of a line from...which Woody Allen movie was it, Annie Hall? Something like "The food is just terrible here...and such small portions!". Somehow, that doesn't seem quite as bad as heaping portions of the same pig-slop.
I think I need more coffee, please.
Sounds like the data supports it.
The WW II generation is just clocking mile, or is it years, like crazy. Here, as well as in Europe and Japan. The good news is that when they fade, the easy life generations, the boomers, the XYZ's, etc. will not put such a burden on the social security system.
We can breath again, of course, not for too long
RELATED ARTICLES
DATA PROVIDERS
Copyright © 2013 Microsoft. All rights reserved.
Quotes are real-time for NASDAQ, NYSE and AMEX. See delay times for other exchanges.
Fundamental company data and historical chart data provided by Thomson Reuters (click for restrictions). Real-time quotes provided by BATS Exchange. Real-time index quotes and delayed quotes supplied by Interactive Data Real-Time Services. Fund summary, fund performance and dividend data provided by Morningstar Inc. Analyst recommendations provided by Zacks Investment Research. StockScouter data provided by Verus Analytics. IPO data provided by Hoover's Inc. Index membership data provided by SIX Financial Information.
Japanese stock price data provided by Nomura Research Institute Ltd.; quotes delayed 20 minutes. Canadian fund data provided by CANNEX Financial Exchanges Ltd.
ABOUT SMART SPENDING
LATEST BLOG POSTS
Start of summer already? Better get shopping. But give the grills and new electronics a miss for now, according to the experts at Dealnews.
VIDEO ON MSN MONEY
TOOLS
Best rates on savingsFind the highest rates on savings accounts, CDs and money market accounts.
- Are you saving enough for retirement?
- Find a great credit card
- Car insurance premiums by model
