Writers die young: The impact of work and leisure on longevity

Kaun, David E.

doi:10.1016/0167-4870(91)90021-k

Cited by 33 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 6 publications

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“…Consistent with some studies, 50 but in contrast to others, 36,56 we find no significant difference in longevity between writers and musicians. Before the 20 th century, the artists analyzed here had a slightly greater average age at death than minor aristocrats.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prosper and Live Long: Productive Life Span Tracks Increasing Overall Life Span Over Historical Time among Privileged Worker Groups

PalaciosTomas

SolariCatherine

BainsWilliam³

2015

Rejuvenation Research

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Life expectancy has increased continuously for at least 150 years, due at least in part to improving life conditions for the majority of the population. A substantial part of this historical increase is due to decreases in early life mortality. In this article, we analyze the longevity of four privileged sets of adults who have avoided childhood mortality and lived a life more similar to the modern middle class. Our analysis is focused on writers and musicians from the 17th through the 21st centuries. We show that their average age at death increased only slightly between 1600 and 1900, but in the 20th century increased at around 2 years/decade. We suggest that this confirms that modern life span extension is driven by delay of death in older life rather than avoidance of premature death. We also show that productive life span, as measured by writing and composition outputs, has increased in parallel with overall life span in these groups. Increase in age of death is confirmed in a group of the minor British aristocracy and in members of the US Congress from 1800 to 2010. We conclude that both life span and productive life span are increasing in the 20th and early 21st century, and that the modern prolongation of life is the extension of productive life and is not the addition of years of disabling illness to the end of life.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 89%

Prosper and Live Long: Productive Life Span Tracks Increasing Overall Life Span Over Historical Time among Privileged Worker Groups

PalaciosTomas

SolariCatherine

BainsWilliam³

2015

Rejuvenation Research

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“…Yet other times this criterion becomes absolutely essential, for the study concerns a question that has meaning for only deceased individuals. Obvious examples of such issues include (a) the age at which individuals typically make their last contribution to the field (e.g., Raskin, 1936;Simonton, 1977bSimonton, , 1991b; (b) the psychological transformations that may occur in the final years of life (Lindauer, 1993;Simonton, 1989b;Suedfeld & Piedrahita, 1984); (c) the specific timing of the death date (e.g., Harrison & Kroll, 1989Zusne, 1986Zusne, -1989; and (d) how the type or mode of achievement affects a person's life expectancy (e.g., Barry, 1969Barry, , 1983Barry, -1984Cassandro, 1998;Kaun, 1991;Lehman, 1943).…”

Section: Samplingmentioning

confidence: 99%

Significant samples: The psychological study of eminent individuals.

Simonton

1999

Psychological Methods

134

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Psychologists occasionally study eminent individuals, such as Nobel laureates, U.S. presidents, Olympic athletes, chess grandmasters, movie stars, and even distinguished psychologists. Studies using such significant samples may be differentiated along 7 distinct dimensions: qualitative versus quantitative, single versus multiple case, nomothetic versus idiographic, confirmatory versus exploratory, crosssectional versus longitudinal, micro versus macro analytical units, and direct versus indirect assessments. However, the vast majority of psychological inquiries may be clustered into just 4 types: historiometric, psychometric, psychobiographical, and comparative. After presenting the intrinsic and extrinsic justifications for studying famous persons, the main methodological issues concerning sampling, measurement, and analysis are discussed. The future prospects of significant samples in psychological research are then briefly examined.Empirical journal articles in psychology almost invariably commence their methods section with a subsection in which the researchers define the "subjects" or "participants" of the study (American Psychological Association, 1994). This sample specification comes first because all subsequent procedures and analytical strategies are usually contingent on that choice. An experimental manipulation or psychometric instrument that is indubitably appropriate for one sample might be manifestly inappropriate for another (e.g., whether to use an intelligence test designed for children or adults). In psychology, this sample description is especially critical. Few sciences feature the same diversity of entities that might serve as subjects in psychological research: human beings of every age, gender, ethnicity, occupation, and capacity; animals ranging from mammals, birds, and fish to insects, mollusks, and worms. Yet as diverse as these various subject pools may be, they all seem to have one thing in common: The individuals that compose This article is based on a paper read at the Internationa!

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“…All of these ® gures are lower than those for conductors, composers, dancers, singers, photographers, and painters. Kaun ( 1991) explained his ® ndings by the fact that writers might be frustrated by the lack of immediate grati® cation. No doubt writers di er from performing artists in this regard.…”

Section: Disclosure and Responsibilitymentioning

confidence: 95%

“…Just sit at a typewriter and open an artery !' ' Kaun ( 1991) also pointed out that``creative writing provides the least stimulation to all the senses save the imagination'' ( p. 388) , and in that manner it may contribute to dissatisfaction. Perhaps most signi® cant was Kaun' s suggestion that writers``come to rely heavily on leisure activity as a source of immediate satisfaction'' ( p. 388) .…”

Section: Disclosure and Responsibilitymentioning

confidence: 96%

Suicide and Creativity: The Case of Sylvia Plath

Runco¹

1998

Death Studies

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This article explores the idea that although much can be learned by viewing Sylvia Plath's poetry as an expression of her thinking and affect, additional insights are afforded by reversing the typical direction of effect and by viewing Plath's affect, and in particular her depression, as a result of her writing. Consistent with this interpretation is Plath's huge investment in writing. This may have contributed to the sensitivity that predisposed her to stress and depression. This perspective is tied to the existing creativity literature and interwoven and contrasted with existing descriptions of Plath's work and tragic death.

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Writers die young: The impact of work and leisure on longevity

Cited by 33 publications

References 6 publications

Prosper and Live Long: Productive Life Span Tracks Increasing Overall Life Span Over Historical Time among Privileged Worker Groups

Prosper and Live Long: Productive Life Span Tracks Increasing Overall Life Span Over Historical Time among Privileged Worker Groups

Significant samples: The psychological study of eminent individuals.

Suicide and Creativity: The Case of Sylvia Plath

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