Philadelphia — Oscar winners live nearly four years longer than their colleagues, according to a study that credits the "You like me! You really like me!" effect of an Academy Award on an actor's self-esteem.
"Once you get the Oscar, it gives you an inner sense of peace and accomplishment that can last for your entire life, and that alters the way your body copes with stress on a day-to-day basis," said Dr. Donald A. Redelmeier, a professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and co-author of the study.
Despite how actors like to say that just being nominated is the important thing, just being nominated doesn't do anything for longevity.
The study found that Oscar winners live nearly four years longer than either actors who were never nominated or those who were nominated and did not win. Multiple winners are even more fortunate, living an average of six years longer than their silver-screen counterparts.
The study was published in Tuesday's Annals of Internal Medicine.
Redelmeier and co-author Sheldon Singh said the results cannot simply be explained away by higher income, because even Academy Award also-rans tend to be wealthy and can afford good health care.
In an accompanying editorial, public health scholar Ray Fitzpatrick agreed: "Social status itself, regardless of associated material and economic advantages, may confer health benefits."
The study included all 762 actors and actresses ever nominated for an Academy Award in a leading or supporting role. For each nominee, researchers also identified an actor of the same gender and roughly the same age who appeared in the same film with the nominee. A total of 772 actors and actresses died by March 28, 2000.
On average, award winners lived to the age of 79.7, while non-winners lived to be 75.8.
Examples of long-lived Oscar-winners abound: John Gielgud, who won for "Arthur," was 96 when he died last year. George Burns ("The Sunshine Boys") lived to 100. Leading lady Greer Garson ("Mrs. Miniver") reached 92. So did Helen Hayes ("The Sin of Madelon Claudet," "Airport").
Katharine Hepburn � with a record four Academy Awards � turned 94 on Saturday.
Anthony Quinn, who won best supporting actor for "Viva Zapata!" in 1952 and "Lust for Life" in 1956, is still going strong at 86.
"I'm very glad. It means I have eight more years to 94. And with the four other nominations, maybe I'll make it to 100," he said.
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