Reason # 8: Dying Economy=Longer Lifespans
April 23, 2009
Today I decided I love the recession because recessions increase your life span.
Lettuce Diet and Live Longer.
The main idea behind this blog was this: America is like a great, fat man, suddenly being told he will die of his fatness. The fat man must die or diet. And so America must diet: trim the fat, so to speak, from our lavish lifestyles. Make more secure investments. Consolidate labor. Buy only essential products. Reconsider is we really need three cars per household. Our credit-consumer lifestyle has turned us into sickly, bloated cows.
This lovely article published last year in the Boston Globe compared the Recession to a cleansing fire, a sort of natural selection amongst businesses. Only the fittest and most capable will survive. Recessions shrink deficits. I never really believed we needed businesses like Dirty Dog, a “self-serve” dog wash, anyways. My dog always preferred the bathtub and Suave Naturals.
What was most interesting about the article was it cited that people during a recession actually live longer than during times of economic stability.
- They drink, smoke, and gamble less to conserve income.
- They drive more slowly to conserve gas and avoid accidents.
- Their underemployment causes them to spend more time with their children or parents.
- They have more free time and end up doing things they “never had time for,” like exercise or pleasure reading. It all leads to lower stress levels.
Be the person you never had time to be?
I will miss this recession.
