Tuesday, April 26, 2016

The Rich Live Longer and Marry Better Because They Act on Knowledge


The rich live longer than the poor.  But they didn't always. It seems to be that knowledge of how to live in a healthier way - and, especially, to not take up self-destructive habits - is the key.  The rich got that knowledge sooner, and acted on it more effectively.

Knowledge-as-power is a two way street.  People who act on knowledge that helps you live longer are also likely to get richer and gain higher status, regardless of where they started.  And their kids start out with the advantage of parents who set a good example.

I think the same is true of marriage.  The rich are more likely to be married, to marry before they have kids, and to stay married, than are the poor.  I believe this is because they are more likely to have better knowledge of how to be married and how advantageous marriage is to the couple and their kids.  Most importantly, the rich are more likely to act on the knowledge they have.

And the same two-way street analogy applies.  The knowledgeable live longer and marry better.

4 comments:

Mac McCarty said...

It is interesting to see that Dukes began to outlive the poor at about the time that England really began to stabilize politically in the early 18th Century. I wonder how many of those short-lived Dukes died on a battlefield, in exile, or as a result of the headsman's axe during the tumultous mid- 16th to late 17th Centuries? Note that their life expectancy began to uptick after the Glorious Revolution and then passed the "poor" around the Hanoverian succession, especially the failure of "the Fifteen."

Barry said...

Interesting observations: Last night I attended a rural little baseball game, and, as usual, I made some observations on what was happening around me. I observed that many of the group, who appeared to be from a lower socioeconomic background, were smoking, drinking Ski or Mountain Dew, eating chili cheese fries or Fritio pie. Most appeared to be overweight, and therefore courting diabetes and other life shorting conditions. Over time, I have come to think that many of these choices are cultural and tribal, and that they make one "feel good" for a short time. I'm sure that most of the people are vaguely aware, from general media attention. of the consequences of their lifestyle, however they propably have not done any research on that.

Gruntled said...

Drug use (including the legal kinds you noticed) have seemed to me a kind slow suicide, based on ambivalence (at best) about whether you want to live a long life.

Mac McCarty said...

Good point. Fate rather than faith.