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Want to live longer? Well if you’re a grandparent a new study has revealed that spending time caring for your grandkids could add as much as 5 years to your life!
Looking after the little ones apparently has a greater impact on life expectancy than exercise, diet, or lifestyle.
Edith Cowan University’s Doctor David Coall helped author the study and says:
To our surprise and interest we found that grandparents who looked after their grandchildren survived five years longer than those that did not.’
But why?
The main theory is that doing something purely for the benefit of someone else is good for you!
‘This might be one of the only situations in your whole life where you’re doing something and you expect nothing in return,’ suggests Dr Coall.
Grandparents who are responsible for their grandkids may be fitter and have better diets, because they want to stay healthy for their grandkids.
Doing something for someone else also makes us feel happy, and happier people cope better with stress.
Both of these things could result in longer lives – and all you have to do is go hang out with the grandkids.
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