The value of education to individuals and to society goes far beyond increased income potential. Higher educational attainment is linked to a host of beneficial behaviors and good health outcomes, including greater life expectancy overall as well as a larger percentage of years spent in good health and with adequate mobility. Better educated people practice healthier behaviors, are more informed consumers of medical services, and are more likely to adhere to treatment regimes. More education is also associated with more robust mental health - greater personal happiness, more stable family relationships, more self-esteem and self-awareness, a greater sense of self-determination, and greater ability to adjust to change. Better educated people
are also more effective in supporting healthy outcomes for their children.
Life Expectancy
Life expectancy in the U.S. is 77.8 years at birth, with great variation by education, gender and ethnicity. Those who acquire education beyond high school have an average life expectancy that is seven years longer than those whose education stops with high school (Meara, Richards, and Cutler 2008); the lifespan gap between those two groups increased 30 percent from 1990 to 2000 (Singh and Siahpush 2006). People with more education tend to earn more, and thus have greater resources to pay for quality healthcare. In addition, more educated people behave in ways that help maintain health — applying critical thinking skills, adhering to treatment regimens and better managing chronic conditions, using newer and more effective drugs, and sharing more resilient outlook to cope with stress, avoid depression and hostility (Lleras-Muney 2005).
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