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Research When grandparents look after their grandchildren, their own life expectancy increases
People are always looking for ways and means to increase their life expectancy. Sometimes, extending our lifespan seems to be easier than expected. Researchers have now found that life expectancy of grandparents increases as they look after their grandchildren. The care of the grandchildren can extend the life of the grandparents by up to five years.
Researchers at Edith Cowan University found in an investigation that grandparents' care for grandchildren can extend their lives by up to five years compared to grandparents who do not care about their grandchildren. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "Evolution and Human Behavior".
When grandparents take care of their grandchildren, the life expectancy of their grandparents increases massively. Physicians have now examined in a study, which causes this increased lifespan. (Image: esthermm / fotolia.com) Care of grandchildren has a strong impact on the life of grandparents
Research shows that caring for grandchildren increases life expectancy even more than a healthy lifestyle and sufficient activity. Many grandparents take care of their grandchildren more often. However, some of these older people also perceive the care as a burden. The care of grandchildren has more impact on life expectancy than the diagnosis of one or more chronic or major diseases in late life, say the experts.
Unselfish help or care brings significant health benefits
The study was the first of its kind to detect such a connection. There is a growing body of research into the effects of so-called selfless care activities and consequent health benefits. For example, these are understood to mean help or care for other people without expecting anything in return, explains author Dr. David Coall of Edith Cowan University.
Caring grandparents often feel happiness, contentment and pride
In conversations with a lot of grandparents, they often said that they felt happiness, contentment and pride in caring for their grandchildren, the researchers report. For many people, this may be the only situation in life where they do something without expecting anything in return, scientists say.
Study examines nearly 520 elderly subjects
The research team examined 516 older German volunteers who participated in a long-term health study. Of this group, 80 participants regularly provided for their grandchildren, say the doctors. Considering other variables, including age and health, grandparents who cared for their grandchildren lived much longer.
Help and support from other people affects mortality
The study results indicate that there is help for other people, not just positive health effects. Help for other people also affects human mortality as a whole. This effect seems to be especially strong in nursing grandparents, say the authors of the study. In their study, the researchers also looked at grandparents who assisted their adult children with housework and other tasks. In addition, grandparents who support other people in their social network were examined. Both groups also had a significantly increased lifespan.
Mandatory care tends to have a negative effect on mortality
The same effect could not be found in grandparents when they were forced to care by tragic circumstances, the scientists report. This group even suffers a significant decline in life expectancy, author Dr. COALL.
Two theories could explain the effect of increasing life expectancy
What leads to the sometimes dramatic results? There are two competing theories. First, when grandparents take care of their grandchildren, they also seem to think a lot more about their own caring. These include, for example, a healthy diet and lots of exercise. Supposedly the doctors. The second theory relies on the power of emotions. The helping behavior and the resulting feelings of happiness could act as a buffer for stress that occurs. COALL. (As)