Patience can increase life expectancy

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Patient people have a lower risk of dying before age 65 and, on average, suffer from fewer hospitalizations and illnesses in adulthood than more impatient people. Such data were obtained in the analysis of researcher Lisa Norrgren. It tracked thousands of Swedes from the age of 13 and throughout their lives.

At the age of 12-13, 13,000 young people were asked what they would prefer: to receive 100 SEK now or 1,000 SEK in five years? The answer to the question spoke about temporary advantages, about how the present was evaluated in relation to the future.

“Actually, there is no right or wrong option. It's just a matter of preference – get something now or wait for a bigger reward,” says Lisa Norrgren, who studies the relationship between time preferences, education, health and death.

Her results show that patient young people people who decide to get SEK 1,000 in five years are 17-21% more likely to live to their 65th birthday than their more impatient peers. They are also less likely to be hospitalized, have fewer diagnoses in adulthood, and are less likely to be diagnosed with so-called lifestyle diseases.