A daily dose of retail therapy could help prolong your life. As if we needed an excuse...
You may think that popping down to the shops is a naughty treat, but scientists in Taiwan believe that a daily trip to the store could in fact extend your life.
Of the 2,000 participants studied, those who went to the shops every day were 27 per cent less likely to die over a 10-year period. According to experts, shopping is a convenient, enjoyable and sociable way of getting exercise.
The study, published online in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, says: ‘Shopping captures several dimensions of personal wellbeing, health and security as well as contributing to the community’s cohesiveness and economy, and may represent or actually confer increased longevity.’
The scientists from Taiwan’s National Health Research Institutes incorporated other significant factors such as physical capabilities, age, gender and lifestyle, concluding that frequent shopping could simply be a sign of better health, while infrequent shopping could be indicative of impaired mobility or ill health.
Results showed that female shoppers were 23 per cent less likely to die over the study period from 1999 to 2008, while men were a surprising 28 per cent less likely to die over the same length of time.
So whether it’s the daily exercise that adds to our lifespan, or the sheer enjoyment of buying things, we now have the perfect excuse to pop to the shops.
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