A new study found that people who complete more years of education tend to have better mental health, especially when it comes to depression, anxiety, and attention problems. Researchers discovered that this connection works partly through lifestyle choices—people with more education are more likely to avoid smoking and eat healthier foods, which helps protect their mental health. The study used genetic information to understand whether education actually causes better mental health, rather than just being connected to it. This suggests that education and healthy lifestyle choices work together to support mental wellbeing.

The Quick Take

  • What they studied: Whether completing more years of school actually helps prevent mental health problems like depression and ADHD, and whether eating better and not smoking are part of the reason why
  • Who participated: The study used genetic data from large groups of people (specific numbers weren’t provided in the abstract), analyzing information about their education level, lifestyle habits, and mental health diagnoses
  • Key finding: People with more education had 3-16% lower chances of developing four major mental health conditions: anorexia nervosa, major depression, PTSD, and ADHD. About 9-31% of this protective effect came from healthier lifestyle choices like not smoking and eating better
  • What it means for you: Education appears to genuinely help protect mental health, and part of this protection comes from the healthier habits educated people tend to have. This suggests that promoting education and healthy lifestyles together could be an effective way to improve mental health in communities

The Research Details

This study used a special research method called Mendelian randomization, which uses genetic information to figure out whether one thing actually causes another. Think of it like using your genes as a natural experiment—since you inherit your genes randomly, they can help researchers understand cause-and-effect relationships better than regular studies. The researchers looked at genetic data from large groups of people and examined connections between years of education, college completion, lifestyle factors (like smoking and diet), and seven different mental health conditions. They used two different statistical approaches: first, they looked at direct connections between education and mental health, and second, they examined whether lifestyle factors explained some of these connections.

Regular studies can show that educated people have better mental health, but they can’t prove education causes it—maybe healthier people just tend to get more education. By using genetic information, this study gets closer to proving that education itself actually helps mental health. This is important because it suggests that investing in education could be a real way to prevent mental health problems, not just something that happens to go together with them.

This study used genetic data from large populations, which is a strong research method. However, the study didn’t provide the exact number of people included, which makes it harder to judge how reliable the results are. The research was published in a respected scientific journal, which suggests it went through careful review. The findings are based on statistical associations, so while they suggest real connections, they’re not absolute proof.

What the Results Show

The study found that each additional year of education was connected to lower chances of four mental health conditions. People with more education had about 4% lower risk of anorexia nervosa, 3% lower risk of major depression, 6% lower risk of PTSD, and 16% lower risk of ADHD for each year of additional schooling. Similarly, people who completed college had even stronger protection against these same four conditions. These connections were statistically significant, meaning they’re unlikely to be due to chance. The protective effect was strongest for ADHD, suggesting that education may be especially helpful for preventing attention and focus problems.

The study identified specific lifestyle factors that partly explained why education helps mental health. Smoking, eating processed meat, eating beef, and eating cereal were the main lifestyle factors that connected education to mental health. These factors accounted for 9-31% of the protective effect of education on mental disorders. This means that while lifestyle choices are important, they only explain part of the story—education appears to help mental health through other pathways as well, possibly including better stress management, social connections, or access to mental health resources.

Previous research has shown that educated people tend to have better mental health, but this study goes further by using genetic methods to suggest that education actually causes better mental health rather than just being associated with it. The finding that lifestyle factors partially explain this connection aligns with other research showing that healthy behaviors are important for mental health. However, this study suggests that education’s benefits go beyond just encouraging healthy habits.

The study didn’t specify how many people were included in the analysis, making it difficult to assess the strength of the findings. The research only looked at seven specific mental health conditions, so results may not apply to other mental health issues. The study used genetic data, which works best for understanding broad population patterns but may not predict outcomes for individual people. Additionally, the lifestyle factors studied were limited to smoking and diet, so other important lifestyle factors like exercise, sleep, and social connections weren’t examined.

The Bottom Line

Based on this research, education and healthy lifestyle choices appear to work together to support mental health. The evidence suggests (with moderate confidence) that promoting education, reducing smoking, and improving diet are worthwhile goals for mental health prevention. However, these findings should be combined with other mental health strategies like therapy, social support, and exercise. This research supports education as a public health investment, not as a replacement for mental health treatment.

These findings matter for policymakers deciding how to invest in education and mental health programs, for parents thinking about their children’s education, and for anyone interested in preventing mental health problems. The results suggest that education benefits extend beyond just career success to include mental wellbeing. However, people who already have mental health conditions shouldn’t assume that education alone will treat them—professional mental health care is still essential.

The protective effects of education on mental health likely develop over years and decades, not weeks or months. The study looked at associations across people’s lifespans, suggesting that the benefits accumulate over time. Lifestyle changes like quitting smoking or improving diet may show mental health benefits within weeks to months, but the full protective effect of education probably takes years to develop.

Want to Apply This Research?

  • Track educational activities and learning goals alongside mood and mental health symptoms. Users could log weekly learning time (online courses, reading, skill-building) and rate their mood, anxiety, and focus on a scale of 1-10 to see if there’s a personal connection between learning and mental wellbeing
  • Set a weekly learning goal (30-60 minutes of educational content) and pair it with one lifestyle change like reducing processed foods or avoiding smoking. Users could use the app to track both the learning activity and the lifestyle change, creating a habit loop that reinforces both behaviors
  • Create a monthly dashboard showing trends in education/learning time, lifestyle factors (smoking, diet quality), and mental health metrics (mood, anxiety, focus, sleep quality). This helps users see patterns between their educational engagement, healthy habits, and mental wellbeing over time

This research suggests associations between education, lifestyle factors, and mental health, but it is not a substitute for professional mental health care. If you are experiencing symptoms of depression, anxiety, PTSD, or any other mental health condition, please consult with a qualified healthcare provider or mental health professional. This study provides general information for educational purposes and should not be used to diagnose, treat, or prevent any mental health condition. Individual results may vary, and genetic research findings apply to population trends rather than individual predictions.