Can your social status make you sick?
And can what you think is your social status make you sick?
Researchers have long known that your social class, or where you are on the social ladder in terms of income, education and employment, is one of the most powerful predictors of health, more powerful, even, than genetics and smoking.
But research has shown there is another important social factor that affects health, though it doesn't get as much attention: your perception of your social status, regardless of what it actually is.