Ihr sozialer Status hat einen überraschenden Einfluss auf Ihre biologischen Stressreaktionen. Eine neue Studie legt nahe, dass das Gefühl, dass sich im sozialen Rang aufgrund sozioökonomischer Faktoren wie Einkommen oder Bildung niedriger anfühlt, die kardiovaskulären Stressreaktionen des Körpers erhöhen kann.

I’ve linked to the news release in the post above. In this comment, for those interested, here’s the link to the peer reviewed journal article:

https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Fhea0001493

From the linked article:

**Your social status has a surprising influence on your biological stress responses**

**A new comprehensive analysis of experimental research suggests that feeling lower in social rank due to socioeconomic factors like income or education can heighten the body’s cardiovascular stress responses**. While temporarily feeling low-status based on task performance did not consistently produce this effect, the findings point to a potential biological pathway connecting social inequality to heart health. The research was published in the journal Health Psychology.

Participants who were made to feel that they had a lower socioeconomic position showed heightened cardiovascular reactivity. This means their bodies, specifically their heart and blood vessels, had a stronger response when they were subsequently exposed to a stressful task. This finding provides experimental evidence for the idea that the psychological awareness of one’s socioeconomic standing can directly influence biological processes tied to disease risk.

Another pattern emerged when the researchers examined the sex of the participants. In the small number of studies that included only female participants, there was a significant association where lower manipulated status led to higher physiological reactivity. In contrast, the studies that included only male participants did not show this effect. This suggests that men and women might respond differently to manipulations of social rank, although the small number of studies in each category means this finding should be interpreted with caution.

The researchers offer an explanation for why socioeconomic-based manipulations had a stronger effect than performance-based ones. They propose that socioeconomic status is a more stable, socially meaningful, and persistent indicator of a person’s position in the social hierarchy. Information about one’s income or educational background may tap into deeply internalized feelings about social value, opportunity, and security.

Yeah, being poor or tenuously middle class is very stressful. Especially if one layoff can ruin you forever.

Viewing other people’s curated lives through social media doesn’t help either