The research has some lessons for mere mortals, too: it throws new light on an ongoing argument about why people of high social status tend to live longer, regardless of how much health care they get. One theory holds that winners–of prizes, but also in the game of life–are so buoyed by their achievements that their brains are “buffeted against any subsequent adversities,” says University of Toronto’s Donald Redelmeier, who studies the Oscar phenomenon. In other words, stress doesn’t bother these folks as much. Redelmeier’s own explanation? After you’ve reached the pinnacle, you behave more carefully. “You’d be quite disinclined to be seen drunk in public if you’ve got a Nobel Prize,” he says. Unless, of course, you’re tipsy off a little celebratory champagne–or, for that matter, a toast to your longevity.
