The Spanish newspaper "La Vanguardia" published a report in which it talked about the reasons that explain the high life expectancy of United States presidents.
In this report translated by "Arabi 21", the newspaper said that Joe Biden not only aspires to become the next president of the United States, but also wants to break the president's age record that Donald Trump currently maintains.
The newspaper mentioned that Donald Trump assumed the presidency in 2016 at the age of 70 years and 220 days. If Biden wins the presidential election, by January he will be 78 years old. Before Trump's record-breaking, Ronald Reagan was sworn in in 1981 at the age of 69.
This data may make sense given the global data indicating rising life expectancy in the world, but it is not surprising to Americans. Given that the President of the United States - the first world power - has been under tremendous pressure for several years, when Barack Obama turned fifty during his tenure, the American press shed light on the grayness in his hair as he appeared to be older than his age in just three years in The position of the president.
All presidents between 1973 and 1993 (Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan and George Bush) passed away at the age of 93.
One of the conditions for running for the presidency in the United States is that the candidate must not be less than 35 years old. The standard was adopted by the Founding Fathers of the United States, but it appears to conflict with life expectancy at the time, which was exactly 35 years at the end of the eighteenth century.
The newspaper pointed out that US presidents since that time have exceeded this number. The country's first president, George Washington, died at the age of 67, and John Adams died at the age of ninety, while the average age of the first eight leaders was about 80 years.
The newspaper reported that there are several reasons that can explain this phenomenon, which appears to be illogical, given the level of pressure that the president is exposed to throughout his term. Some studies indicate that constant stress accelerates external aging, but does not necessarily lead to premature death. A few years ago, a study from the University of Illinois at Chicago published in the Journal of the American Medical Association led by demographer S Jay Olshansky investigated the causes of the longevity of American presidents.
One of the reasons is clear: the well-being enjoyed by these leaders at the top of the social and economic pyramid, which contributes to prolonging life as it encourages a healthy lifestyle and immediate access to health care.
Although stress is harmful to health, it is not always dangerous:
The newspaper pointed out that stress does not always harm health, because what causes high levels of stress in reality is a loss of control over stressful situations. For the US president, it is only natural that he possesses all the necessary tools that enable him to keep the most difficult situations under control. This distinguishes superiors from other ranks of officials who act according to the decisions their superiors make.
The newspaper added that success is another factor that explains the longevity of US presidents. In fact, reaching the White House means that the candidate has succeeded in his political career, which helps him live more years. For example, actors and directors who won the Oscar live four years longer on average than those nominated for the award, and the same applies to Nobel prizes, according to the aforementioned study.
There is no doubt that the signs of aging are evident on American presidents during their term, but as the researcher Olshansky says: "We do not die of gray hair and wrinkles," adding that "most presidents have received a college education, enjoyed great wealth and received the best medical care. Higher socio-economic status has a positive effect on longevity. "
