How does higher education affect the human psyche?
Recently, the development and improvement of university education in the world has prompted an increasing number of scientists to ask questions about the importance and vilification of higher education for human life. Modern researchers are trying to understand whether getting a higher education brings more to human life than just a university diploma.
As a result, most studies have found that having an education affects many areas of life and even the mood that prevails in a person. Perhaps one of the most interesting and important studies in this field was aimed at determining the relationship between a person’s educational level and his or her health.
Taking into account various medical and psychological indicators, scientists have concluded that having a higher education amazingly slows down the ageing of the body at the molecular level.
The study was based on measuring the length of telomeres in more than 400 people with different levels of education. It is the characteristics of this part of human DNA that, according to scientific findings, are responsible for the process of biological ageing of the body: ageing significantly reduces the length of telomeres in the DNA of chromosomes.
As a result of the research, scientists have established a connection between the length of telomeres and the level of education of a person: in people with high levels of education, the length of telomeres was much longer than in others. Thus, the researchers concluded that allegedly people with good education are much slower in ageing than those with low education levels.
According to the scientists, there are a number of reasons for such research results. First, the educational process significantly transforms a person’s personality and perception of the world around them. Many people who have studied and received higher education are more inclined to logical thinking, analysis and thinking about different situations. Often, people with higher education read more and have a constant need for “food” for the mind.
Scientists have long proven that active mental activity stops the ageing process, which is why many writers, politicians, actors and public figures even in old age remain energetic enthusiasts with a lively and inquisitive mind. Second, higher education in most cases implies a higher social status, standard of living and position in society.
Educated people tend to make more balanced and rational decisions about their future, behaviour and lifestyle, they have a better chance to get a prestigious position and earn good money. In addition, these people are able to deal more effectively with such common today’s problems as stress and depression. Undoubtedly, all this enhances the psychological health of the person and thus affects his physical condition.
At the same time, people who have no education and live unsecured are supposedly more prone to bad habits, less involved in sports and take less care of their health.
According to many studies, living conditions in the lower strata of society over time begins to have a detrimental effect on people, exacerbating their health problems and accelerating the ageing process at the cellular level.
Thus, it turns out that the presence or absence of higher education has a significant impact on various areas of life, including on human health. As a result, all this affects the ageing process and either accelerates or slows down it.
The editorial unit
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