This news should be a guide for the smart man's choice in a partner - get yourself a smart woman!
A new study is out that shows educated women to be instrumental in their partner's chances of living better and longer lives.
The Swedish Institute of Social Research found that the level of education of a man's partner is a factor in his health, not how educated he himself is. The more educated she is - the better he fares.
About one and a half million men and women were studied, with regard to when the men died and the level of education of their partners. During the time of the study, men whose partners had no high school education were 1.25 times more likely to die than men who lived with a woman who had a college education.
Why?
It seems that women are still the deciders on diet, grocery store lists and putting the food on the table. And educated women tend to go for healthier fare, increasing their partner's quality of life and life expectancy. They may also encourage their partner to go for annual checkups.
The co-author of the study, Dr. Robert Erickson, told Reuter's Health ""We can assume that more highly educated women have better possibilities to find the important health messages that are around."
Of course, this probably also extends to women who may not have a college degree, but who study and research healthy foods and lifestyle options. The more a woman knows, the more those around her benefit.
Also of note - the study found that a man's social class - as defined by his profession - influences how his partner lives - more than her own social class.
Interesting to see how deeply we are entwined in the lives of the men we live with - and vice-versa.
Tell Us
What do you make of this study? Do you agree with it? Are you a college grad - and do you believe this is a defining factor?