Why the poor get sick more often
Being poor is bad for your health. The lower the income, the more often people complain about all sorts of ailments. Scientists at the University of London came to this conclusion after analyzing the results of many studies, including data from the annual Gallup poll (GWP) for 10 years, in which 1.3 million people from 146 countries took part.It's no surprise that the rich stay healthy longer than the poor. If only because they have better access to the latest medical advances, fewer household worries, and more opportunities for quality recreation and sports.
But it turns out it's not that simple. An unexpected observation that scientists made: in wealthy countries, where the lower social classes have the opportunity to eat well and be treated, the same stratification was observed anyway. So a person's assessment of their own health and the pain they complain about depends not only on their income, but also on their place in the social hierarchy.
"This is the first study to show that psychological factors associated with the well-known phenomenon of social comparison can influence people's physical pain," explains study author Dr. Lucia Macchia.
Simply put, negative emotions related to deprivation (inability to meet some needs) and the feeling of inability to improve social status can be the cause of endless pain. A person drops his hands and becomes depressed. He looks at the world in a destructive way, experiencing a sense of injustice and envy of the more fortunate (or more talented?). All this inevitably affects physical well-being as well.
"Effective income redistribution policies could help align social hierarchies and reduce the impact of income rank on physical pain," the study concludes.
Still, it's interesting to find out: can a person who is not very successful and super-income earners still remain healthy and happy? After all, after all, there are most of them. On the other hand, the rich also cry: they have their own problems and diseases.
According to the experts of "RG", much, if not everything, depends on a person's attitude to life and the ability to be happy with what they have, without suffering because of the "bogeyman in the sky.