A scientific paper released this month claims that lazy people live longer.

The story is a based on a study of sparrows conducted by researchers at Exeter University. The scientists have been studying the cooperative habits of the African white-browed sparrow weaver.

The boffins found that the slack sparrows lived longer than their stressed-out, hard-working counterparts. One of the authors of the report, Dr Andrew Young, commented:

“Our findings suggest that the unequal sharing of workloads may leave the hardest-working indviduals at risk of oxidative stress, which could lead to poor health and accelerated ageing.”

Oxidative stress kicks in when our levels of protective antioxidants drops. It is believed to trigger a range of illnesses in humans, including heart disease and Alzheimer’s.

The story led to a leader in The Times of London which approvingly quoted Bertrand Russell’s 1932 essay, “In Praise of Idleness”, which we are sure you know. If you don’t, we suggest you read it immediately, as it is an essential text in the Idler’s canon. In it Russell proposes a four-hour day. There is a copy of it residing in the Idler Library.

The harder you work, it seems, the younger you die.