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Clergy Live Longest, Entertainers Shortest

Clergy have the longest life expectancy and entertainers the shortest, according to a study. Show business is the only career where average life expectancy is growing shorter.

The findings, announced Monday, are based on research by Prof. Kim Jong-in of Wonkwang University, who analyzed newspaper obituaries and data from Statistics Korea between 2001 and 2010 and derived the average life span of different professions.

Religious leaders lived an average of 82 years, which was the longest, followed by university professors and politicians (79), legal experts (78), businesspeople (77), senior government officials, artists and writers (74). But journalists (72), athletes (69) and entertainers (65) died relatively young. Entertainers' average life span dwindled from 75 years in the 1990s to 65 years since 2000.

When the time frame is expanded from 1963 to 2010, clergy once again top the list with an average life span of 80 years, followed by politicians (75), university professors (74), businesspeople (73), legal experts (72) and high-ranking government officials (71). Entertainers, artists (70), athletes, writers and journalists (67) died earlier.

Clergy tended to live longer due to their temperate lifestyle involving a moderate diet, no smoking and abstinence from alcohol. "They also experience less stress from Family Matters and tend to work in environments that are less polluted", Kim said.

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