Being poor can make you less intelligent
TIMES OF INDIA 18.03.2018
A poor person cannot take their child to a theme park. Certain types of enjoyment are obviously beyond their reach, but research shows being poor is oppressive even when people are not denying themselves a material pleasure. The knowledge that they are precariously placed, financially, changes their outlook on life and even routine experiences trigger “thoughts about cost and money.”
These thoughts interfere with other experiences. For instance, if a group of friends is planning to go out for pizza, the poor person’s thoughts will be focused on the expenditure and a way to wriggle out of the situation.
“Simple daily events such as gathering with friends, having a beer, or riding in a taxi take on an additional dimension for the poor – it is not just about the experience itself, but also about the underlying costs.”
Constantly thinking about money narrows their vision. This helps when they are making ordinary buying decisions about groceries and other needs. They certainly behave more rationally than people who are well-off, but it affects their intelligence overall.
“While poor people actually make sensible decisions when buying groceries, for example, other research has found that, during periods when money is scarce, people perform worse on measures of fluid intelligence (the ability to think abstractly, identify patterns, and solve problems) and cognitive control.”
This challenges the notion that rich people are rich because they are smart, or that poor people are less intelligent. Rather, poverty holds people back from making choices that could make them prosper.
For more: Psychological Science
TIMES OF INDIA 18.03.2018
A poor person cannot take their child to a theme park. Certain types of enjoyment are obviously beyond their reach, but research shows being poor is oppressive even when people are not denying themselves a material pleasure. The knowledge that they are precariously placed, financially, changes their outlook on life and even routine experiences trigger “thoughts about cost and money.”
These thoughts interfere with other experiences. For instance, if a group of friends is planning to go out for pizza, the poor person’s thoughts will be focused on the expenditure and a way to wriggle out of the situation.
“Simple daily events such as gathering with friends, having a beer, or riding in a taxi take on an additional dimension for the poor – it is not just about the experience itself, but also about the underlying costs.”
Constantly thinking about money narrows their vision. This helps when they are making ordinary buying decisions about groceries and other needs. They certainly behave more rationally than people who are well-off, but it affects their intelligence overall.
“While poor people actually make sensible decisions when buying groceries, for example, other research has found that, during periods when money is scarce, people perform worse on measures of fluid intelligence (the ability to think abstractly, identify patterns, and solve problems) and cognitive control.”
This challenges the notion that rich people are rich because they are smart, or that poor people are less intelligent. Rather, poverty holds people back from making choices that could make them prosper.
For more: Psychological Science
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