Ambitious people earn more money - but die younger...

Get rich AND die trying: Ambitious people earn more money - but they die younger and are no happier, says study

By Rob Waugh

Last updated at 11:48 PM on 6th March 2012

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Career ladder: The new study found that ambitious people earned more money and had prestigious jobs - but died younger, and were not a great deal happier 

Parents who teach their children  to value career ambitions over spending time with friends could be setting them up for an early grave, a study has revealed.


It found that go-getters who attend the best universities and secure high-powered jobs suffer poorer health and die younger than those with more modest aspirations. 


Over 70 years, the U.S. study tracked 717 high-achievers who attended universities, such as Oxford, Harvard and Yale, as well as those without university degrees, to the end of their lives.



The researchers found that highly ambitious people neglected key areas of their lives that lead to happiness, including building a strong network of friends and maintaining stable relationships. 


Professor Timothy Judge, who led the study at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said: ‘Ambitious kids had higher educational attainment, attended highly esteemed universities, worked in more prestigious occupations, and earned more.


‘So, it would seem that they are poised to "have it all." However, we determined that ambition has a much weaker effect on life satisfaction and actually a slightly negative impact  on longevity (how long people lived).

 

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'So, yes, ambitious people do achieve more successful careers, but that doesn't seem to translate into leading happier or healthier lives.’

Judge used a complex formula to judge ambition at every stage of life - and to divide high-ability individuals into 'ambitious' and 'less ambitious' groups.

The study didn’t address the underlying reasons for the higher mortality of ambitious people. 

Those who went to university at institutions such as Cambridge may be more ambitious, but this will not necessarily make them happier in later life

‘If ambition has its positive effects, and in terms of career success it certainly seems that it does, our study also suggests that it carries with it some cost,’ Prof Judge says. 

‘Despite their many accomplishments, ambitious people are only slightly happier than their less-ambitious counterparts, and they actually live somewhat shorter lives.’

‘Perhaps the investments they make in their careers come at the expense of the things we know affect longevity: healthy behaviours, stable relationships and deep social networks.

He added: ‘If your biggest wish for your children is that they lead happy and healthy lives, you might not want to overemphasise professional success.

'There are limits to what our ambitions bring us - or our children.’

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2110891/Get-rich-AND-die-trying-Ambitious-people-earn-money--poorer-health-die-younger-says-study.html#ixzz1oRmCj9Dc