I was reading in Time today that the average life span of the first eight Presidents was 79.8 years. This is amazing considering that the average life span at that time was under age 40 for men. The article also states that despite the belief that being President lowers life expectancy due to increased stress, 2 out of 3 presidents have outlived their contemporaries. I am really curious to know why this is as it seems completely rational to me that being President, no matter what the economy is like, or whether or not we are at war, etc, is one of the most stressful jobs you can ever have. Maybe it's because most presidents only have it for 4 years (obviously some have it for 8). After those years, it seems that most presidents make a career out of writing an autobiography, or doing the lecture circuit or simply "retiring." So maybe the real reason is because while they might have a super stressful job for four years, much of their later years is spent in a more relaxed manner than most. Who knows.
What I learned: The first eight U.S. Presidents averaged 79.8 years old, almost double the life expectancy at the time.
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