A new infographic from Online College Courses suggests that life expectancy is improved by obtaining a college degree. Generated by data from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention, the infographic reveals why the undereducated tend to not live as long as college graduates. It’s important to note that the study is not claiming that you need a college degree in order to live longer, it’s simply revealing that statistically speaking, Americans with college degrees have a longer lifespan.
“The more educated you are, the more likely you are to be aware of what can harm your body, more knowledgeable about what’s necessary to sustain and replenish your body. A degree also has the ability to alter your income for the better, allowing for greater access to services and goods, both of which can have an impact on your longevity.”
The infographic goes on to talk about exactly how education impacts longevity. Those with a lower level of education are four times as likely to lack health insurance as those with a bachelor’s degree. A little over 20 percent of under-educated people were obese, compared to around 10 percent of college graduates.
Of course, you need to make it through college alive first in order to be counted as a statistic. I lost track of how many reports I read in my college’s student newspaper about how many people were treated for alcohol poisoning or who stumbled and fell down a dormitory staircase. And I didn’t even go to any of the Top 10 Party Schools.