News Fall Babies May Be More Likely to Live to 100, Study Finds Just in case you need another reason to love fall. By Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep Meghan Overdeep has more than a decade of writing and editing experience for top publications. Her expertise extends from weddings and animals to every pop culture moment in between. She has been scouring the Internet for the buzziest Southern news since joining the team in 2017. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Updated on March 12, 2023 Fact checked by Jillian Dara Fact checked by Jillian Dara Jillian is a freelance writer, editor and fact-checker with 10 years of editorial experience in the lifestyle genre. In addition to fact-checking for Southern Living, Jillian works on multiple verticals across Dotdash-Meredith, including TripSavvy, The Spruce, and Travel + Leisure. brand's fact checking process Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: jessicaphoto/Getty Images From pumpkin spice lattes to haunted houses, autumn is good for a lot of things. And, according to one study, it's also an excellent time to be born. The study, published in the Journal of Aging Research in 2011, found that the month a person is born in has "significant long-lasting effect on survival to age 100." In it, researchers from the University of Chicago compared data on 1,500 centenarians born in the US between 1880 and 1895 with their shorter-lived siblings or spouses. They discovered that more centenarians were born in the autumn than in the spring. In fact, the majority were born between September and November, while the fewest number were born in March, May, and July. While the reason behind this phenomenon remains a mystery, scientists do have a few theories. The most popular hypothesis involves seasonal illness, and the idea that being born in the fall exposes infants to sicknesses that ultimately impact their longevity. But that's not to say that every fall baby should start planning their 100th birthday parties. There are a lot of factors that play into longevity, including diet, exercise, habits, and believe it or not, pet ownership. One study even suggests that tall women are likely to live longer than their diminutive peers. WATCH: Moms Really Do Treat Their First-Born Children Differently, but It Has Nothing to Do With Preference No matter how you slice it, it's another one in the win column for fall, y'all! Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Southern Living is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Gavrilov LA, Gavrilova NS. Season of Birth and Exceptional Longevity: Comparative Study of American Centenarians, Their Siblings, and Spouses. Journal of Aging Research. 2011:1-11. doi:10.4061/2011/104616 Brandts L, van den Brandt PA. Body size, non-occupational physical activity and the chance of reaching longevity in men and women: findings from the Netherlands Cohort Study. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2019;73:239-249. doi:10.1136/jech-2018-211410