Societies with more income equality, both the poor and the wealthy are healthier than their counterparts in a less equal society with the same average income
Income inequality is a strong predictor of poor health because it is about being made to feel poor, but suppose in some society the poor health of the poor was more sensitive to socioeconomic factors than the good health of the rich. Now suppose you make income distribution in that society more equitable by transferring some wealth from the wealthy to the poor. Maybe by doing that, you make the health of the wealthy a little worse, and the health of the poor a lot better. A little worse in the few wealthy plus a lot better in the numerous poor and, overall, you’ve got a healthier society. That wouldn’t be very interesting in the context of stress and psychological factors. But Wilkinson makes an extraordinary point—in societies that have more income equality, both the poor and the wealthy are healthier than their counterparts in a less equal society with the same average income. There is something more profound happening here.
References
- Sapolsky, Robert. (2004). Why Zebras Don’t Get Ulcers Chapter 17. The View from the Bottom (p. 529). New York, NY: Henry Holt and Company.
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Type:🔴 Tags: Biology / Neuroscience / Psychology / Neuropsychology / Social Psychology / Medicine / Politics / Economics Status:☀️