Research suggests that recessions could save lives, make you live longer: Tyler Cowen

In a recent National Bureau of Economic Research paper, researchers reveal an unexpected silver lining to recessions: improved health and extended life expectancy. The study, led by professors from MIT, the University of Chicago, and McMaster University, unveils a 2.3% decrease in age-adjusted mortality during the Great Recession, translating to an extra year of life for one in twenty-five 55-year-olds. While air pollution reduction plays a significant role, mysteries surround other potential factors, emphasising the need for deeper exploration into the complex relationship between economic downturns and public health.

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By Tyler Cowen

The human and economic costs of recessions are deep and well-documented. They can also have real health benefits, however, and seldom are they expressed so starkly as in this sentence in a new paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research: "The Great Recession provided one in twenty-five 55-year-olds with an extra year of life."

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