London - Parents who teach their children to value career ambitions over spending time with friends could be setting them up for an early grave, a study has revealed.
It found that go-getters who attend the best universities and secure high-powered jobs suffer poorer health and die younger than those with more modest aspirations.
Over 70 years, the US study tracked 717 high-achievers who attended universities, such as Oxford, Harvard and Yale, as well as those without university degrees, to the end of their lives.
The researchers found that highly ambitious people neglected key areas of their lives which lead to happiness, including building a strong network of friends and maintaining stable relationships.
Professor Timothy Judge, who led the study at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana, said: “Ambitious kids had higher educational attainment, attended highly esteemed universities, worked in more prestigious occupations, and earned more.
“However, we determined that ambition has a much weaker effect on life satisfaction and actually a slightly negative impact on longevity.”
The study didn’t address the underlying reasons for the higher mortality of ambitious people. Professor Judge said: “Perhaps the investments they make in their careers come at the expense of the things we know affect longevity: healthy behaviours, stable relationships and deep social networks.”
He added: “If your biggest wish for your children is that they lead happy and healthy lives, you might not want to overemphasise professional success.” - Daily Mail