Formal Education could make for better health

A new study suggests that meaningful relationships with others and a sense of purpose in life can help reduce the negative health impacts of having less schooling and education.

It is well known that lack of education is a strong indicator of poor health and a relatively early death, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison pointed out.

But their new study published by Health Psychology Journal found that peace of mind can reduce the risk of early death.

“If you didn’t go that far in your education, but you walk around feeling [good], you may not be more likely to suffer ill-health than people with a lot of schooling. Low educational attainment does not guarantee bad health consequences, or poor biological regulation,” study co-author and psychology professor Carol Ryff said in a university news release.

The researchers found that subjects whose education stopped with a high school diploma or less but who had high scores on measures of general happiness or self-acceptance, or who felt their life circumstances were manageable, had IL-6 levels that were comparable to similarly satisfied, but highly educated people.

The findings could help in efforts to narrow the wide gap in overall health between the rich and poor.