What do Nobel laureates, Oscar winners, and baseball Hall of Famers have in common? They all outlive their peers.

Freakonomics this week looks at the growing body of research that looks at the relationship between status and life expectancy. The report features research by David Becker about baseball Hall of Famers; by Donald Redelmeier about Oscar winners; and by Andrew Oswald about Nobel Prize winners. In each case, the winners outlive the people they beat out — which, as it happens, says more about the disappointment of losing than the joy of winning.

For those of us who aren’t likely to win a Nobel or an Oscar, we also propose an easy solution for tacking an extra year or two onto your life.