Study : Rich People Live Longer

Does wealth translate into health? Yes, according to sociologist Linda Gottfredson of the University of Delaware and psychologist Ian Deary of the University of Edenburg. The rich people live longer not so much of their money but mainly because they are smarter, said the two authors whose study was published in the Healthy Options Newsdigest.

The study correlates social status with IQ. Intelligence, in turn, corresponds with “health literacy”, the ability to understand and follow a prescription for disease prevention and treatment. Those with more money have more access

to medical care and are bound to be the most knowledgeable about health related issues as they are the ones likely to buy health books and could subscribe to health magazines. In contrast, the Gottfredson-Deary paper observes, majority of patients from low-income clinics are found unable to manage their drug therapy due to simple failure to understand directions.