Demographic research frequently reports consistent and signifcant associations between formal educational attainment and a range of health risks such as smoking, drug abuse, and accidents, as well as the contraction of many diseases, and health outcomes such as mortality—almost all indicating the same conclusion: better‐educated individuals are healthier and live longer. Despite the substantial reporting of a robust education effect, there is inadequate appreciation of its independent influence and role as a causal agent. To address the effect of education on health in general, three contributions are provided: 1) a macro‐level summary of the dimensions of the worldwide educational revolution and a reassessment of its causal role in the health of individuals and in the demographic health transition are carried out; 2) a meta‐analysis of methodologically sophisticated studies of the effect of educational attainment on all‐cause mortality is conducted to establish the independence and robustness of the education effect on health; and 3) a schooling‐cognition hypothesis about the influence of education as a powerful determinant of health is developed in light of new multidis‐ciplinary cognitive research.
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