The economic recession that has crippled the world economy for the last few years is, according to Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, “likely” to be over.  We won’t know for sure until well after the fact, but the indicators are currently pointing towards a growth in our Gross Domestic Product.  Unfortunately for those of us who don’t have lots of money in the stock market, the unemployment rate is going to remain high for a long time – possibly years.  Unemployment is always a “lagging factor” during a recovery and is the last economic indicator to show improvement.  This time around they don’t think the unemployment rate is going to come back quickly at all, so those of us who are out of work or stuck in a low-paying  job and unable to find anything else are going to be mired down for a while.

I’ve  mentioned before how difficult it is to maintain a healthy diet when you are poor due to the high cost of nutritious food, so imagine my surprise when I read recently that despite the fact that things, in general, tend to suck during an economic downturn the populace on the whole tends to get healthier.

A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences analyzed the mortality rates of Americans from 1920 to 1940, a period of time that included two recessions and, of course, the Great Depression from 1929 to 1933.  In periods of  time when things were economically down life expectancy rates actually rose, increasing by an average of 6.2 years during the Great Depression itself.  The researchers theorized that these improvements in life expectancy could have been the result of less people smoking and drinking as well as the overall social cohesion that resulted in everyone pulling together during rough times.

The article concluded by stating that while we may see some improvements in life expectancy as a result of our recent recession the gains aren’t likely to be as dramatic as they have been in the past.  While I agree, I do see the potential there for some positive changes to come out of this in regards to our overall well being.  While there’s the obvious financial impact that will result in people giving up cigarettes, drinking less, and eating at home more there is also the looming specter of health care over our heads.  Every day we’re hearing more and more people say “I just can’t afford to get sick,” and the best way to avoid doing so is to take better care of yourself.

While I am certainly no advocate of the recession if the people who have those revelations during these hard time form good habits that carry through until things get better I certainly see at least one silver lining that all of us here at ShrinkGeek can appreciate.