The broken ladder : how inequality affects the way we think, live, and die /

The broken ladder : how inequality affects the way we think, live, and die /

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Bibliographic Details
Author / Creator:	Payne, Keith (Social scientist), author.
Imprint:	New York : Viking, [2017]
Description:	viii, 246 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Language:	English
Subject:	Equality -- Psychological aspects. Social stratification. Income distribution. Equality -- Psychological aspects. Income distribution. Social stratification.
Format:	Print Book
URL for this record:	http://pi.lib.uchicago.edu/1001/cat/bib/11049106

Hidden Bibliographic Details
ISBN:	9780525429814 0525429816 9780698409378
Notes:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
Summary:	"A timely examination by a leading scientist of the physical, psychological, and moral effects of inequality Today's inequality is on a scale that none of us has seen in our lifetimes, yet this disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. In The Broken Ladder, psychologist Keith Payne examines how inequality divides us not just economically, but also has profound consequences for how we think, how our cardiovascular systems respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and how we view moral ideas such as justice and fairness. Experiments in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics have not only revealed important new insights on how inequality changes people in predictable ways, but have also provided a corrective to our flawed way of viewing poverty as the result of individual character failings. Among modern developed societies, economic inequality is not primarily about money, but rather about relative status: where we stand in relation to other people. Regardless of their average income, countries or states with greater levels of income inequality have much higher rates of all the social problems we associate with poverty, including lower average life expectancies, serious health issues, mental illness, and crime. The Broken Ladder explores such issues as why women in poor societies often have more children, and have them younger; why there is little trust among the working class that investing for the future will pay off; why people's perception of their relative social status affects their political beliefs, and why growing inequality leads to greater political divisions; how poverty raises stress levels in the same way as a physical threat; inequality in the workplace and how it affects performance; why unequal societies become more religious; and finally offers measures people can take to lessen the harm done by inequality in their own lives and the lives of their children"-- "A timely examination by a leading social scientist of the physical, psychological, and moral effects of inequality. Today's inequality is on a scale that none of us has seen in our lifetimes, yet this disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. While conservatives look at poverty and see its roots in personal failures and liberals attribute it to a lack of opportunity, what both sides miss is that the psychology of inequality causes both poor opportunities and personal failures. Understanding how and why this occurs is our best chance at addressing it effectively. In The Broken Ladder psychologist Keith Payne examines for how inequality influences us as individuals, affecting our brains, our bodies, and our values. Inequality divides us not just economically, but has profound consequences on how we think, how our cardiovascular systems respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and how we view moral ideas like justice and fairness. Experiments in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics have not only revealed important new insights on how inequality changes people in predictable ways, but have provided a corrective to our flawed way of viewing poverty as the result of individual character failings. The central argument of this book is that among modern, developed societies, economic inequality is not primarily about money, but rather about relative status: where we stand in relation to other people. Regardless of their average income, countries or states with greater levels of income inequality have much higher rates of all the social problems we associate with poverty, including lower average life expectancies, serious health issues, mental illness, and crime"--
Other form:	Online version: Payne, Keith (Social scientist), author. Broken ladder New York : Viking, 2017 9780698409378
Standard no.:	40027132763

Description
Summary:	"A persuasive and highly readable account." --President Barack Obama<br> <br> "Brilliant. . . . an important, fascinating read arguing that inequality creates a public health crisis in America." --Nicholas Kristof, New York Times <br> <br> " The Broken Ladder is an important, timely, and beautifully written account of how inequality affects us all." --Adam Alter, New York Times bestselling author of Irresistible and Drunk Tank Pink <br> <br> A timely examination by a leading scientist of the physical, psychological, and moral effects of inequality. <br> <br> The levels of inequality in the world today are on a scale that have not been seen in our lifetimes, yet the disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. In The Broken Ladder psychologist Keith Payne examines how inequality divides us not just economically; it also has profound consequences for how we think, how we respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and even how we view moral concepts such as justice and fairness.<br> <br> Research in psychology, neuroscience, and behavioral economics has not only revealed important new insights into how inequality changes people in predictable ways but also provided a corrective to the flawed view of poverty as being the result of individual character failings. Among modern developed societies, inequality is not primarily a matter of the actual amount of money people have. It is, rather, people's sense of where they stand in relation to others. Feeling poor matters--not just being poor. Regardless of their average incomes, countries or states with greater levels of income inequality have much higher rates of all the social maladies we associate with poverty, including lower than average life expectancies, serious health problems, mental illness, and crime.<br> <br> The Broken Ladder explores such issues as why women in poor societies often have more children, and why they have them at a younger a≥ why there is little trust among the working class in the prudence of investing for the future; why people's perception of their social status affects their political beliefs and leads to greater political divisions; how poverty raises stress levels as effectively as actual physical threats; how inequality in the workplace affects performance; and why unequal societies tend to become more religious. Understanding how inequality shapes our world can help us better understand what drives ideological divides, why high inequality makes the middle class feel left behind, and how to disconnect from the endless treadmill of social comparison.
Physical Description:	viii, 246 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm
Bibliography:	Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN:	9780525429814 0525429816 9780698409378