If you got straight “A” grades in high school, your long term health may benefit. New research by Pamela Hurd, a professor of public affairs and sociology at UW-Madison, shows higher academic performance in high school plays a critical role in better health throughout life. “People with higher levels of educational attainment are in better health,” said Hurd. “What this study does which is a little bit different than prior studies, is that it looks at high school academic performance.”
Hurd said the perseverance required to get good grades may translate into similar discipline where health is concerned – but what we learn may also be a factor. “So that the process of acquiring new information, engaging in math and science and all these sorts of academic activities, gives us a set of skill that than translates into better health across the rest of your life.” The conclusion relies on data from the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, a groundbreaking survey that has involved more than 10,000 graduates of Wisconsin’s high school class of 1957 during the last 53 years