Study Shows Poverty May Reduce Cognitive Capacity

Study Shows Poverty May Reduce Cognitive Capacity

An international study published this week has shown that poverty can cause such a strain on brain functions and consume so much of its energy that poor people could actually lose up to 13 IQ points and be predisposed to make poor judgment calls or mistakes.

The study was conducted by an international team with members from top Universities like Harvard, Princeton, Warwick University and several Universities from North America. Sendhil Mullainathan, an economist from Harvard and a member of the study team said that money isn't the only issue for poor people, as their cognitive capacities are also very highly stressed.

The study also suggests that people who are having problems with poverty are far more likely to perform poorly on cognitive and logic tests.

The members of the study didn't want to suggest that poor people are dumber, but that people who always have to be aware of their budget have their mental capacity limited by the energy it takes to constantly be aware of the financial aspect of life.

A person who is worried about his or her financial situation can have up to a 13 IQ points drop, similar to someone who has missed a night’s sleep.

The study was conducted on low to middle class shoppers from a U.S. mall and from Indian farmers. When the shoppers were confronted with the hypothetical problem of getting their car fixed, their cognitive capacities were reduced.  The Indian farmers as well had a reduced cognitive capacity before getting paid for their harvest and a normal one after.

Posted by George Daniels on Sunday September 01 2013, 4:57 AM EST. Ref: Reuters. Link. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News, Health. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0