It’s been said that grandmothers “are wonderful mothers with lots of practice.” But since most species don’t live long beyond their reproductive years, it’s curious that older women often live decades beyond menopause. Now, two new studies out of Finland lend credence to the evolutionary purpose of older women for the well-being and longevity of their grandchildren- at least in certain cases. Published in Current Biology, this new research contains intriguing findings. It seems that having a maternal grandmother between the ages of 50-75 is associated with longer-term survival in grandchildren as well as the ability of daughters to have more children. However, the findings do not hold up if the grandmother is over 75, is a paternal grandmother, or if the grandmother does not live in close proximity. To read more about the studies, and their implications for modern life and demographic trends, take a look here.

Given the increasing number of grandparents– and great-grandparents – in society today, this research underscores the critical role that grandmothers- and grandfathers- can play in the lives of young grandchildren, and that policies and incentives should perhaps promote multigenerational living and proximity when possible. There’s clearly a rise of these sorts of housing arrangements and research to support the potential benefits of many generations living together. And there may even be free babysitting in the process! But one downside,  perhaps, of the closer bonds that might develop between involved grandmothers and grandchild? The knowledge, as expressed by writer Robin Marantz Henig, that you may not live to see out the lives of those children you have been blessed to grandparent.