Recent studies suggest that spending time with grandchildren may do more than bring joy—it could actually extend a grandparent’s life. New research shows a strong link between occasional caregiving and longer life expectancy in older adults.

According to a study published in 2017 and highlighted in a June report by Considerable, grandparents who regularly babysit grandchildren may lower their risk of early death by as much as 37 percent. The findings come from the Berlin Aging Study (BASE), which tracked the health and social behaviors of more than 500 people in Germany between 1990 and 2009.

The research focused on grandparents who provided intermittent babysitting, not full-time or custodial care. Compared to both non-caregiving grandparents and non-grandparents, the group that babysat saw significantly lower mortality rates over a 20-year period.

Dr. David Coall, a senior lecturer at Edith Cowan University and co-author of the study, noted the team wanted to explore whether this connection could be explained by the possibility that healthier grandparents were simply more likely to babysit in the first place.

To test this, Dr. Coall’s team reanalyzed the BASE data in August 2017. They found that better baseline health explained only about 22 percent of the link between caregiving and longevity. That means a direct benefit from caregiving behavior itself—independent of pre-existing health—still exists.

Follow-up research, including a collaborative study with Finnish researchers, examined whether becoming a grandparent and participating in childcare later led to measurable health improvements. Results showed a notable improvement in physical health, although there was no consistent effect on emotional or mental well-being. Dr. Coall speculated that the benefits may come from increased physical activity and engagement while looking after grandchildren.

While more studies are needed to clarify all the factors at play, this growing body of evidence points to a powerful truth: light caregiving may offer grandparents a meaningful way to stay active, connected, and potentially healthier for longer.

For families with young children, that means the benefits of time spent with grandparents likely go both ways.