Eyespy

Celebrities talk a whole lot of rubbish—that is well known. However, Sense about Science, a British charity, has severely reprimanded those celebrities who unabashedly promote theories, treatments, and campaigns that amount to nothing more than scientific nonsense, and may end up harming members of the public. “Check your facts before making scientific claims,” the warning went. Celebrities singled out include Madonna for attempting to “neutralise radiation” and Carole Caplin for her lymphatic solution to prevent breast cancer. Pity then that the photographs of psychiatry's antagonists and scientology's ardent champion, Tom Cruise didn't make it to the tabloids (Financial Times 2007 Jan 3).

What do you think your life expectancy might depend on? Happiness? Money? Power? Health? Or even sex? The answer, say some well established economists, is none of these. The factor most strongly associated with longevity is education. The longer you stay at school, especially when young, the more likely you are to live longer. Factors such as health insurance, race, and lifestyle habits, pale in comparison. And this seems confined not just to voluntary education for the academically inclined. Now, here's a …