University graduates live some seven years longer than people with less formal education, according to a new Italian study.
The lifespan boost was 7.6 years for men and 6.5 years for women, the study found.
The study was based on the average life spans of 35-year-old graduates compared to those of Italians who did not go on to high school after the age of 15.
The data were compiled by Carlo Maccheroni, a member of the Social Dynamics Research Centre at Milan's prestigious Bocconi University.
Bocconi said graduates lived longer because they had better lifestyles and were more inclined to get information on healthcare and wellness.
They also had tended to have easier access to accurate information, he said.
The researcher, who also teaches demography at Turin University, urged the government to boost social policy and change the current pension system which is based on the same average life expectancy for all.
