Among the more interesting and thoughtful posts I've seen on my local subreddit for the Texas Rio Grande Valley (i.e., the southern tip of South Texas) ... ❝Some of my research has documented that these socioeconomic health disparities are partly due to economic circumstances, but it's also partly due to gaps in social status. It sucks to feel poor; to feel like you don't have control over your life; that you don't have power to influence your society and community. That wears on your health and wellbeing in a similar way that low incomes do. Some of my other research has focused on why psychological processes keep inequality in place despite its clear negative effects. One reason is that people often justify inequality (as may emerge in the comments below). When people feel middle class or higher, they are less supportive of redistributive policies. This is particularly troubling, because there is a "middle class bias" where many low income folks, who would benefit from redistributive policies, often reject those policies because they don't recognize themselves as low income. Another psychological tendency that perpetuates inequality is that inequality exacerbates risk taking. As inequality goes up, people feel like they need more to be happy. To meet that need, people are more inclined towards high risk-high reward behaviors. This can be ok for wealthy investors who can weather a failed venture, but can be devastating for low income folks who live on a razors edge but risk predatory pay day loans.❞ https://www.reddit.com/r/RioGrandeValley/s/Ya6SorShHG