People with Higher Status Live Longer

Nobel Prize winners live an average of 1.6 years longer than nominees who aren't selected, a finding that's consistent with a causal link between status and longer lifespan, say Matthew D. Rablen and Andrew J. Oswald of the University of Warwick in the UK. The mechanism for the link is unclear, but it may have to do with higher-status individuals' greater control over their work lives. Lack of control in the workplace is associated with stress, and high levels of stress hormones damage immunological processes.