Extra life perk of Nobel Prize

LONDON - Winning the Nobel Prize gives scientists a new lease of life.

Research at the University of Warwick in central England shows that scientists who have won the prize for their work in chemistry and physics not only get cash and kudos but they live two years longer than colleagues who have only been nominated.

"Status seems to work a kind of health-giving magic. Once we do the statistical corrections, walking across that platform in Stockholm apparently adds about two years to a scientist's lifespan," Professor Andrew Oswald said.

Oswald and economist Matthew Rablen compared the lifespan of 524 scientists who had been nominated between 1901 and 1950, including 135 who had won.

The average lifespan was 76 but winners lived on average 1.4 years longer.

The gap widened by a further eight months when those from the same country were compared.

- REUTERS