An analysis of obituaries in the New York Times found fame may cause a shorter life span, according to BBC News.
According to the analysis, individuals who acquire fame through entertainment and sports die a little bit younger than those who are successful in other walks of life.
The analysts admitted the research did not draw any conclusive results. They did however say the study poses many inquiries into the price of fame.
The researchers—from the University of Queensland and the University of New South Wales—examined 1,000 obituaries the spanned from the year 2009 to 2011. Both universities are located in Australia.
Entertainers, who sing, play music, act and those made famous through sports, died on average at the age of 77. Analysts said lung tumors, among other forms of cancers,
Those who write, compose, and draw died at 79. Historians, economists and other academics came in at 82. Those who made a career in business or politics survived until 83 years of age.
"First, if it is true that successful performers and sports players tend to enjoy shorter lives, does this imply that fame at younger ages predisposes to poor health behaviors in later life after success has faded?," professor Richard Epstein said. "Or that psychological and family pressures favoring unusually high public achievement lead to self-destructive tendencies throughout life?
"Or that risk-taking personality traits maximize one's chances of success, with the use of cigarettes, alcohol or illicit drugs improving one's performance output in the short term?," he said.
Honey Langcaster-James is a psychologist who studies the actions of famous individuals.
"The results are interesting of themselves as they suggest an inherent hazard of a public career and that all that glitters is not necessarily gold,” she said.
Langcaster-James did admit that a scientific explanation for the study’s results would be difficult to draw.
She went on to say that a celebrity’s career “has unique stressors" For example, “the pressure to live up to a public image, which can lead to risky behaviors."
She also believes that “particular personal characteristics predispose people to wanting a career in the public arena", which may also lead to lifestyle choices affecting health”
