Poverty significantly saps our mental abilities say researchers

[xchrom]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-23881780


Those in poverty may need extra help with the tasks of daily life, say the researchers

The work, by an international team, demonstrates how poverty takes its toll on cognitive function, leaving less mental capacity for other tasks.

The evidence comes from two studies carried out in India and the US.

Previous data had shown a link between poverty and bad decision-making, but the root causes of this correlation were unclear.

The US, British and Canadian team tried to shed light on this chicken-and-egg puzzle by isolating the financial factor from others that might interfere with the results.

[xchrom]

1. also from the article

Varying ability

Dr Anandi Mani, from the Centre for Competitive Advantage in the Global Economy (Cage) at the University of Warwick, UK, set the farmers cognitive tests at each stage of the cycle and found that mental acuity varied with their income.

"With the sugarcane farmers, we are comparing the same person when he has less money to when he has more money. We're finding that when he has more money he is more intelligent, as defined by IQ tests," said Dr Mani.

The study aimed to rule out other confounding factors like nutrition, health, physical exhaustion and family commitments.

The researchers also tried to limit the influence of factors related to stress, but measuring biomarkers such as blood pressure and heart rate.

[DBoon]

2. Isn't this the very definition of poverty

When all your energies are spent on subsistence, and you have no spares of anything (time, money, energy)?

[xchrom]

3. it'll do. nt

[ananda]

4. So how does that account for the rich and corporate?

..

[Hydra]

5. There's no good excuse left for why povery exists n/t

[xchrom]

6. i'll give this 1 kick -- i thought this would be more interesting to people. nt

[leftstreet]

7. DURec

Yeah, the 'putting out fires now' impact on cognitive functioning

No one expects firefighters to work 24/7

[xchrom]

8. +1