At least on the national level, I see tons of politicians in their 60s, 70s, 80s, etc who are still functioning at a pretty high level.
Obviously politicians have several things going for them that not everyone has:
Amazing health care that they can rely on
Lives that are (one would assume) more prone to feelings of power and meaning which would give psychological advantages over a life full of feelings of helplessness and boredom
Lots of wealth
High levels of education (most seem to have graduate degrees)
Their jobs are white collar and not hard physically
Being elected as a politician requires a personality willing to delay gratification and have self discipline (getting elected is hard work), which probably carries over into health care where self discipline can pay off by adopting a healthier lifestyle that is unpleasant now but pays off down the road.
Their jobs, esp. at the higher levels, seem full of stress too so that should negate some of the benefit.
I make the assumption this is one of the reasons politicians are so open to raising the retirement age, they have no idea many people aren’t functioning at a high level at an older age. Mitt Romney is 64, Jimmy Carter is 86, John Edwards is 58, George W Bush turned 65 today and GHW Bush is 87. Over 60 of the 100 senators are 60 or older, and 22 are over 70. Much of the leadership in both parties is 60+ and seemingly pretty spry. If Mitt Romney wins the primary, he will be working 100+ hour weeks to get elected when he is 65 years old next year. How many 65 year olds can maintain that kind of schedule?
Are politicians healthier than most everyone else? Has anyone studied why, or what impact that has on their policies on issues like retirement or health care?
I see tons of people in general who are in their 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, etc who are still functioning at a pretty high level. My grandmother lived to be 98 on a diet of refried beans and cows stomach mainly and smoked until the day she died. Cause of death? She fell off of a examination table when a nurse failed to assist her down, broke her hip and died shortly after due to complications. Both of my folks are in their 80’s and while my dad is a total bastard, he’s a very active and intelligent bastard who is still sharp as a tack, if politically misguided. He still plays a round of golf every week and we went skiing last winter, and while I wouldn’t say he shredded the mountain he didn’t seem to be having many problems.
The point of all of this is that I think people are in general living longer and better, even when they come from lower economic groups with more limited access to healthcare (my folks certainly didn’t have access to great healthcare until much later in life, and my grandmother was a freaking dirt farmer in Mexico until she was in her 40’s…and after moving to the US basically had Clorox as the miracle cure-all).
Might vanity have anything to do with it? Persons who choose such public roles might tend towards making lifestyle choices which appear favorable to constituents. An observant or critical public would be excellent motivators for staying fit and thin as well as avoiding vices such as smoking and drinking.
Most of the factors you mentioned, if not all of them, are associated with a longer-than-average lifespan, although I don’t know if it’s true that politicians live longer than everyone else. Obama and G. W. Bush, to name two, are also known to be gym rats. I do have to point out this irony, though:
Health follows prosperity. Most people probably have a vague notion that it’s true but may not have grasped the full extent of it. The point was driven home to me one summer while I was in grad school. I spent the summer in Alaska–not far, in fact, from the now-infamous town of Wasilla–and I noticed for the first time how many people from the poor communities, either Native American or towns of miners and other blue-collar workers, had major physical deformities. I particularly remember seeing one man in a gas station whose neck was permanently bent at an angle of almost forty-five degrees. I couldn’t miss the contrast between these people and the people I lived and worked with at grad school. (I attended Vanderbilt, one of the most expensive schools in the world, so not surprisingly the student body leaned wealthy.)
If you don’t live among people who do physical labor for a career, it’s easy to miss the fact that a lifetime of such labor can have extreme effects on the body. Politicians, I think it’s safe to say, generally do not come from that environment.
Being a politician generally requires a very high energy level and almost unbelievable self image but the basic Federal health plan is below the average of health plans offered in the private sector, its just that all federal employees have one. As far as I can tell, it costs the employees more and provides less benefits but if you are wiling to pay a higher premium, you can get one that is every bit as good as the private sector but your contribution will generally be higher than your private sector counterparts.
The question is based on a common logical fallacy. Politicians aren’t necessarily any healthier than anyone else, but healthier people are politicians.
In order to attain the seniority (frequently) needed to rise to high levels, it helps to be older. Older people who are in ill health tend to retire from politics (or whatever else they’re doing).
Essentially, in any position that values seniority and requires some degree of health, you’ll find people that are on average healthy for their age.
Not sure if this answers much, but this site has a lot of fascinating information about the health of U.S. presidents. If nothing else, many presidents’ access to the very best health care available in their time has arguably allowed them to survive conditions that would probably kill many people at an earlier age.
Or in the case of the earliest presidents, such as George Washington, access to physicians probably hastened their deaths! http://www.doctorzebra.com/prez/index.htm
He still plays a round of golf every week and we went skiing last winter, and while I wouldn’t say he shredded the mountain he didn’t seem to be having many problems.