-LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Americans appear to actually thrive on adversity , according to a study published this week that reached the conclusion after researching the nation 's biggest economic downturn . This sculpture at the FDR Memorial in Washington depicts men waiting in a Great Depression bread line . Life expectancy during the peak years of the Great Depression increased 6.2 years -- from 57.1 years in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1933 -- according to University of Michigan researchers Jose A. Tapia Granados and Ana Diez Roux . The increase applied to men and women , whites and non-whites . The team crunched data from the federal government and concluded that `` population health did not decline and indeed generally improved during the four years of the Great Depression , 1930-1933 , with mortality decreasing for almost all ages , and life expectancy increasing by several years in males , females , whites , and non-whites . '' For most age groups , `` mortality tended to peak during years of strong economic expansion -LRB- such as 1923 , 1926 , 1929 and 1936-1937 -RRB- , '' they wrote in the `` Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences . '' `` The finding is strong and counterintuitive , '' said Tapia Granados , the lead author of the study . `` Most people assume that periods of high unemployment are harmful to health . '' The researchers used historical life expectancy and mortality data to examine the association between economic growth and population health from 1920 to 1940 . Though population health improved during 1930-1933 and during the recessions of 1921 and 1938 , mortality -- the death rate -- increased and life expectancy fell during times of economic expansion , such as 1923 , 1926 , 1929 and 1936-1937 , they wrote . The researchers looked at mortality rates due to six causes of death that made up two-thirds of total mortality in the 1930s : cardiovascular and kidney diseases , cancer , influenza and pneumonia , tuberculosis , motor vehicle injuries and suicide . Only suicide went up during economic downturns , they said , citing the recession years 1921 , 1932 and 1938 , but suicides accounted for less than 2 percent of total deaths . Those years were marked by high unemployment ; the nation experienced its highest unemployment rate of 22.9 percent in 1932 , they wrote . Yet from 1920 to 1940 , life expectancy increased 8.8 years . The authors speculated about possible explanations for why population health tends to improve during recessions but not expansions . `` During expansions , firms are very busy , and they typically demand a lot of effort from employees , who are required to work a lot of overtime , and to work at a fast pace , '' Tapia Granados said . `` This can create stress , which is associated with more drinking and smoking . '' In addition , new , inexperienced workers may be more likely to become injured ; workers may sleep less and adopt less healthy eating habits , he said . Further , boom times may translate into more industrial pollution , which can take a toll on populations ' health , he said . During recessions , with less work to do , employees may work slower , sleep longer and spend more time with family and friends , he said . With less money , they may spend less on alcohol and tobacco . The researchers pointed out that their work looked at the relationship between recessions and mortality on a macro level and was not predictive for any one person . The findings may apply to others , too . Tapia Granados , 53 , whose work was self-funded , said he has carried out similar studies that looked at Japan , Spain and Sweden . `` In the three of them , it was the same , '' he said .