How do income and social status affect the health and wellbeing of an individual?
For a comprehensive list of factors, this page will help you. However, for an in-depth analysis, continue reading.
Income and social status
Possibly the largest factor that impacts the health and wellbeing of a large portion of the population is income. On average, in the US, if you are on less than $35,000 annual salary, your chance of disease is 22.8% compared to 5.6% of which are on $100,000+ a year.
This is down to many different factors. Affordance is one, cleanliness is another and time. When you have a large amount of money coming in, you likely have more time and motivation to take care of yourself.
Not only does wealth decrease the overall physical health of an individual, but it also has detrimental effects on their mental health too. The following graph analysed the feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and worthlessness against income and found these results.
It turns out that money does by happiness to some extent. However, there is a threshold. After the $75,000 mark, people reported roughly the same amounts of sadness, hopelessness and worthlessness. The hypothesis? Once all of your bills and debts are paid, materialistic purchases cannot buy long term happiness.
Similarly, the life expectancy of an individual drastically decreases with a direct correlation to an annual salary. On average, if a family is less than 100% below the federal poverty level, they can expect to live 6 and a half years less than those who are more than 400% above the FPL.
Families that have achieved financial freedom can reap the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. This includes:
Access to healthy foods
Healthy environment
Healthcare
Environmental pollution
Disinvestment
It doesn't end there though. Wealthier people function better physically than the less fortunate.
The Takeaway
There is a direct correlation between income and wealth. We have looked at the statistics and it rings true, the wealthier, the healthier. However, this isn't to stop you from looking after yourself, even if you aren't as well off as some. You're on the perfect site to get started. head over to this page and get started with your new healthy lifestyle!
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