Friday, December 01, 2006

Be Healthy and Get Wealthy

On average, healthier people are wealthier. Several studies have shown a positive correlation between state of health and amount of wealth. The University of Michigan published a study about this relationship in 1996. Yahoo! recently published an article on a new study by the British Medical Journal that reconfirmed the findings.

Of course, statisticians will point out that a cause and effect relationship isn’t clearly established – i.e. does good health lead to wealth or does wealth lead to good health? (For example, the Yahoo! article also noted there was a correlation between height and wealth – i.e. taller people were wealthier.) Personally, I’m not going to wait to find out if “cause and effect” is one way or the other. I’ll work on improving health and wealth and cover both options:-)

Photo Credit: morgueFile.com, Paul Anderson

This is not financial or health advice. Please consult a professional advisor.

Copyright © 2006 Achievement Catalyst, LLC

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I believe wealth leads to a healthier lifestyle.

The wealthy can afford better food, gym memberships, and have the time to relax and just enjoy the simple things in life.

Low-income residents are bloggled down by stress and concern for monthly bills and other finances.

Super Saver said...

TJP,

Agree on wealth enabling better health. Low income residents and developing countries are good examples.

On the other hand, declining health is one of the greatest wealth destroyers. I recall hearing on NPR that 45% of bankruptcies are caused by health care bills.

So I think each one can be the "cause" depending on the situation, which is why I think it is important to work on both:-)