There’s a lot of improvement in life that people attribute to higher education – higher salary, fewer unplanned pregnancies, and overall more “success” in seeking the American Dream. But who would have thought that your life could actually be prolonged by earning a college degree?

You always hear those stories about people who are 102 years old with no teeth, no education, and have smoked cigarettes and drunk bourbon every day since they were 12. Now, those of us who are completely the opposite – college-educated, fairly healthy, and don’t smoke – have a chance to brag about avoiding cancer.

A recent study declared lower death rates for certain types of cancer if the person has a college degree. The Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a report from two university research centers that studied men and women with cancer from 1993 to 2001. Significantly fewer people died from breast, lung, prostate, and colorectal cancer if they had earned a Bachelor Degree.

So, what are the reasons behind it? Why would more educated men and women avoid cancer? Here are a few of the reasons given by the report:

1) Educated women are more likely to get mammograms on a regular basis – both because they know how important that is, and because they have the insurance to cover it.
2) Educated people are less likely to smoke (at least, in the U.S).
3) Educated people are also more likely to get colorectal cancer screening tests.

But, unfortunately, until I Am Legend becomes reality, there is still no absolutely certain preventative method to avoid cancer or, of course, any known way to cure it. In the meantime, consider improving your life for a variety of reasons: earn a degree.