The rich are getting richer – and growing. People with high salaries and large fortunes tend to live longer, according to a survey. Once Americans reach their late 50s, the richest 10 percent live to an average age of about 86, about 14 years longer than the least wealthy 10 percent, according to a study that was published earlier this year in JAMA Internal Medicine. 
People with more money can afford healthier food, more and better health care and homes in safer, less polluted neighborhoods, says Kathryn Himmelstein, study co-author and medical director at the Boston Public Health Commission.
Although you still can't add more months or years to the electronic your shopping cart, health and aging researchers report that there are ways to spend money to improve your chances of living longer. They suggest you go for purchases that help you monitor your health, stay active and reduce stress.
"We know the things that help us age better and everyone is always disappointed when we tell them," says Andrew Scott, director of economics at the Ellison Institute of Technology in Oxford, England.
“Eat less and eat better, sleep more, exercise more and spend time with friends…”
But some gadgets and luxuries may be worth the cost, some researchers say. Devices like the Apple Watch and the Oura Ring can instill healthy habits and catch worrying patterns that may arise between annual checkups, says Joe Coughlin, director of the MIT AgeLab… Coughlin says he once went to the emergency room because the Apple His watch detected a spike in his heart rate that he hadn't noticed.
"For the super-rich, suddenly living longer and living better has become the new status quo," Coughlin says. Higher incomes are associated with greater duration lifetime, but there are also diminishing returns. Each successive increase in pay is associated with smaller increases in longevity, according to a 2016 study by Opportunity Insights Research Group… A key to the relationship between income and longevity is that money doesn't just buy things that help you live longer. They also save time and reduce stress.
"If you have a nice place to live and don't have to worry about putting food on the table, you have the space and resources to prioritize your health," says Steven Woolf, a professor of medicine at the University of Virginia.
In addition, many low-income jobs are more taxing and more prone to occupational accidents and exposure to harmful substances.
The article also includes examples of health-promoting expenses, including things like home exercise equipment, or even dance lessons.
But he also adds that "a lot of things that are good for you don't require money, like walking or minimizing time in the screen before sleep".
doi:10.1001/jamainternmed.2023.7975
