Stress, Health & Disease - Why Zebras Don't Get Ulcers (ch17)

Chapter 17: A view from the bottom

Poor health can be caused by our bad living situations and our position in society (pollution, no heat in winter, overcrowded apartment etc.)

Once social groups in animals have been established, those who are lower ranking become more chronically stressed (in most cases). This is mainly caused by lack of control, predictability and outlets for frustration.

While rank is an important predictor of individual differences in stress-response, the meaning of the rank for the individual and the psychological baggage that accompanies it in a society is just as important.

Do humans have ranks?

• Humans tend to belong to a number of different ranking systems simultaneously
• There are certain realms we might excel in and some where we don’t do well at all
• Ranks can be relative
• Socioeconomic status seems to be the most important “ranking system” in relation to stress

Low socioeconomic status

• Being poor is related to manual labor and a great risk of work-related accidents
• Having to work multiple jobs and having to walk everywhere, due to not being able to afford other transportation can be very exhausting
• By not having any resources in reserve, it is difficult to plan for the future, or deal with any unexpected crisis
• There is little outlet for frustration. You can’t just quit your job or take a vacation
• There’s a lack of social support. If everyone you know is busy working multiple jobs and feels tired and stressed, there is little room for spending quality time together
• Poverty is associated with increased risks of cardiovascular diseases, respiratory disease, ulcers, psychiatrics diseases etc.
• Poor people usually don’t have the same access to medical care as wealthy people
• In westernized societies they are more likely to drink and smoke excessively and to have unhealthy diets
• They are less informed about health risks

Being poor vs feeling poor

• SES reality plus your  satisfaction with that plus your confidence about how predictable your SES is are collectively better predictors of health than SES alone
• The more income inequality there is in a society, the worse the health and mortality rate
• Someone can feel poor even if they don’t have a low income, comparing themselves to those who earn more
• Because of media we can made to feel poor or poorly about ourselves by people we don’t even know
• When comparing two equally wealthy nations, the one that has more income inequality will have the less healthy people

Resources: Sapolsky, R. Why zebras don’t get ulcers: The acclaimed guide to stress, stress-related diseases, and coping. New York (NY): Henry Holt and Company. 2004 3rd edition