Low social status causes measurable physical and mental illness

Evidence

Higher status is a reliable pathway to acquiring the power and the glory—but it also provides defense against the threat of status loss. Studies show that high status makes people happy and healthy, and that low status leads to anger, depression, anxiety, and sickness. In any organization, “low-status members are more likely to feel negative emotions like sadness and, when things go wrong for the group, self-blaming emotions like guilt or shame.” The social epidemiologist Michael Marmot coined the term “status syndrome” to describe the poor health of people at the bottom of the status hierarchy. And as the psychologist Dale T. Miller has shown, disrespect is “widely recognized as a common, perhaps the most common, source of anger.” — W. David Marx, Status and Culture, 72

Categorization

• XREF: connects to: Flattening the gap between standard and premium reduces status hierarchies — W. David Marx, Status and Culture: How Our Desire for…, 819; Social connectedness affects health as strongly as smoking, obesity, and hypertension do — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 1129; The mental health of discrimination victims equals that of nonvictimized groups — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1060 (+2 more)

Broader Connections

• Social connectedness affects health as strongly as smoking, obesity, and hypertension do #corroborates (0.85) — Robert D. Putnam, Bowling Alone The Collapse and Revival…, 1129
• Racial discrimination causally damages mental and physical health. #corroborates (0.85) — A. Hussain, N. Meer, Framing Muslim Integration, 321
• The mental health of discrimination victims equals that of nonvictimized groups #contradicts (0.75) — , Rudman, Laurie A - On the Nature of…, 1060