We love our grandparents. After all, when our parents were busy with their work, they were the ones that came to us and told us all those interesting stories. They are a vital part of our lives. But have we ever wondered how important we are for them? I bet we have not thought about it much. But no one can deny that being a grandparent is a beautiful experience. But even we have a role to play in their happiness. Believe it or not, we might have even helped increase their lifespan.

Babysitting grandkids lead to a longer lifespan

For grandparents, loving their grandchildren is just a natural thing. It’s like their everyday chore which they love doing. You must be aware of how your grandparents always loved to babysit you whenever they had the opportunity. The Evolution and Human Behaviour have published a report that has taken into account the data collected from a Berlin Aging Study and the astonishing results are that babysitting can lead to longer lifespan!

Studies show amazing results

Imagine the happiness of your grandparents now! 500 people took part in this research; all of them were over 70 years of age. The results showed that those individuals who would routinely take care and babysit a child had significantly reduced risks of dying by over a 20-year period when compared to those who didn’t babysit a child. So research confirms it: babysitting increases your lifespan. However, no one was present at the primary caretaker for the children. They only babysat them occasionally. But even that could produce such amazing results.

But there are other factors that heal your body

Dr. Ronan Factora who works for the famous Cleveland Clinic saw the report and mentioned that caring for someone could bring about a reduction in the stress levels. This could help one to become healthier internally. Of course, we should not forget exercising and to keep socializing since both of these are considered much more important than babysitting. As Ronan Factora says that even though grandparents, because of their age, do not work anymore, the feeling of responsibility and being in need is something that really has a positive effect on them. They can really maintain it by engaging in babysitting. No wonder, this feeling of belongingness heals the body. It proves yet again how much we need love and togetherness in our lives.

So when any grandparent says how he/she became ecstatic after hearing that their daughter was pregnant, think what a great news that is. And when they say that caring for a child made them feel like they were growing up with them – it just might be their bodies which are healing internally. So start giving them the love they need and bring them into your life. They want to be included – why don’t you take the step and do so!