Education has been proven to improve the quality of life across a large range of parameters, but according to new research, it may even help you live longer. According to a report from UPI, a joint study has shown a correlation between time spent attaining a higher level of education and mortality rates.

The study was conducted by scientists at the University of Colorado, New York University, and the University of North Carolina. The team found that the number of people who avoid death as a result of finishing the equivalent of a high school education is about same amount of lives that would be saved if every smoker suddenly quit smoking.

The study was published in the journal PLOS One, where the team showed how people who attain a higher level of education have lower average death rates across the board.

According to Virginia Chang, the study’s head author and associate professor of public health at NYU, “In public health policy, we often focus on changing health behaviors such as diet, smoking and drinking. Education – which is a more fundamental, upstream driver of health behaviors and disparities – should be a key element of US health policy.”

The study gathered data from the CDC’s National Health Interview Survey, which the team used to calculate that between 1986 and 2006, nearly 145,000 lives could have been saved if people had a higher level of education.

People without a high school education often lack access to basic knowledge about proper health care, and often don’t get the necessary treatment when sick or injured. It’s a sad reality, if more people had access to an education, they could treat their health problems when they arise.