One study showed that having children is linked to parental longevity. Analyzing men and women born between 1911 and 1925 and their children, they concluded that, stress from elderly parents was lower and led to longer life. Another interesting finding showed that mothers with not one but 2 children lived longer than women with only one child. This is just as important for men.
Adoption can also have significant benefits
The benefits are surprisingly similar for parents who adopt children. What makes the study more interesting is that when comparing the numbers of adopted children and life expectancy, parents with 2 children "performed better" compared to those with 1 and 4 adopted children.
The connection with longevity can also be explained by the support that children give to parents at an older age.
In the same research, researchers also found a link between increased life expectancy and the adoption of children belonging to different origins.
The studies cited can be found here and here .
