Being in control of your life and believing you can achieve goals despite all barriers can help you lead a longer and healthier life, a new study finds.
Previous studies have established that people with higher education live longer than people with less education. A new study conducted by Brandeis University and University of Rochester researchers challenges this finding. The study says that it is not always the case.
The researchers found that people who are in more control of their lives tend to live longer and healthier lives, irrespective of their level of education. In fact, a feeling of "control" allows less educated people to live longer than previously thought.
For the study, researchers analyzed data from Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), a national survey of more than 6,000 people. The participants were given statements and asked to rate them according to their level of agreement on a scale of one to seven (one being strongly disagree).
They found that less educated people with higher perceived control in their life had a mortality rate three times lower than those with a lower sense of control.
"A high sense of control all but wipes out educational differences when it comes to mortality," Margie Lachman, the Minnie and Harold Fierman Professor of Psychology, said in a statement. "A person with less education but a high sense of control is practically indistinguishable from a person of high education."
"There are methods and strategies for improving one's sense of control, and educational experiences are one of them. We could implement those approaches in educational and public health programs aimed at increasing health-promoting attitudes and behaviors and ultimately lowering mortality risks."
The study was supported by the National Institute on Aging and published online in the journal of Health Psychology.
