5 ms·
There are so many ways this could be lying with statistics: 1) Healthier people work more - does this include the disabled? Having morbidly obese or disabled wh
by aneth 15y ago
There are so many ways this could be lying with statistics:
1) Healthier people work more - does this include the disabled? Having morbidly obese or disabled who earn little and live shorter lives will skew the stats.
2) Poorer people eat less healthily and have higher obesity, so the implications for policy are not straightforward
3) Smarter more educated people both earn more AND make better life choices, such as taking fewer dangerous drugs. There is a correlation between having the capability to manage a working career and manage your own life.
4) Those who engage in many unhealthy activities, such as alcoholism, will diminish their earnings capacity.
There are more, but that should be sufficient to breed some skepticism.
Earning power and longevity are interdependent variables. They are so closely tied that any correlation needs to be carefully examined.
- OstiaAntica 15y agoAgreed. The correlation between poverty, increased smoking rates, and longevity probably explains the entire difference.
- nck4222 15y agoIt would be interesting to see if this effect held true for other countries too, or if it's prevalent in the US alone.
- 3pt14159 15y agoAgreed, with one quibble. Alcohol usage is inversely parabolically correlated with earning power and life expectancy. Even self reported heavy drinkers earn slightly more and live slightly longer than than complete abstainers.