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People who are bad with numbers often find it harder to make ends meet – even if they are not poor

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wandi-bruine-de-bruin-275600">Wändi Bruine de Bruin</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-slovic-359838">Paul Slovic</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-oregon-811">University of Oregon</a></em></p> <h2>The big idea</h2> <p>People who are bad with numbers are more likely to experience financial difficulties than people who are good with numbers. That’s according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378">our analyses</a> of the <a href="https://wrp.lrfoundation.org.uk/explore-the-poll">Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll</a>.</p> <p>In this World Risk Poll, people from 141 countries were asked if 10% was bigger than, smaller than or the same as 1 out of 10. Participants were said to be bad with numbers if they did not provide the correct answer – which is that 10% is the same as 1 out of 10. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378">Our analyses</a> found that people who answered incorrectly are often among the poorest in their country. Prior studies in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02394.x">United States</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2007.00052.x">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2016.02.011">the Netherlands</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12294">Peru</a> had also found that people who are bad with numbers are financially worse off. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378">our analyses of the World Risk Poll</a> further showed that people who are bad with numbers find it harder to make ends meet, even if they are not poor.</p> <p>When we say that they found it harder to make ends meet, we mean that they reported on the poll that they found it difficult or very difficult to live on their current income, as opposed to living comfortably or getting by on their current income.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378">Our analyses</a> also indicate that staying in school longer is related to better number ability. People with a high school degree tend to be better with numbers than people without a high school degree. And college graduates do even better. But even among college graduates there are people who are bad with numbers – and they struggle more financially.</p> <p><iframe id="yOIiX" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/yOIiX/3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <p>Of course, being good with numbers is not going to help you stretch your budget if you are very poor. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378">We found</a> that the relationship between number ability and struggling to make ends meet holds across the world, except in low-income countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda.</p> <p><iframe id="RejA1" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/RejA1/8/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>The ability to understand and use numbers is also called <a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001">numeracy</a>. Numeracy is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/1f029d8f-en">central to modern adult life</a> because numbers are everywhere.</p> <p>A lot of well-paying jobs involve working with numbers. People who are bad with numbers often perform worse in these jobs, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12873">banking</a>. It can therefore be hard for people who are bad with numbers to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1108/00400919710164125">find employment and progress in their jobs</a>.</p> <p>People who are bad with numbers are less likely <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19386.short">to make good financial decisions</a>. Individuals who can’t compute how interest compounds over time <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2009.01518.x">save the least and borrow the most</a>. People with poor numerical skills are also more likely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586">to take on high-cost debt</a>. If you’re bad with numbers, it is hard to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474747215000232">recognize</a> that paying the US$30 minimum payment on a credit card with a $3,000 balance and an annual percentage rate of 12% means it will never be paid off.</p> <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> <p>It is clear that people who are bad with numbers also tend to struggle financially. But we still need to explore whether teaching people math will help them to avoid financial problems.</p> <h2>What’s next</h2> <p>In her book “<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001">Innumeracy in the Wild</a>,” Ellen Peters, director of the Center for Science Communication Research at the University of Oregon, suggests that it is important for students to take math classes. American high school students who had to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.51.3.0113-5410R1">take more math courses</a> than were previously required had better financial outcomes later in life, such as avoiding bankruptcy and foreclosures.</p> <p>Successfully teaching numeracy also means helping students gain confidence in using numbers. People with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1903126116">low numerical confidence</a> experience bad financial outcomes, such as a foreclosure notice, independent of their numeric ability. This is because they may not even try to take on complex financial decisions.</p> <p>Numerical confidence can be boosted in different ways. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586">elementary school children</a> who were bad with numbers, setting achievable goals led to better numerical confidence and performance. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180674">undergraduate students</a>, a writing exercise that affirmed their positive values improved their numerical confidence and performance.</p> <p>Other important next steps are to find out whether training in numeracy can also be provided to adults, and whether training in numeracy improves the financial outcomes of people who do not live in high-income countries.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172272/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/wandi-bruine-de-bruin-275600"><em>Wändi Bruine de Bruin</em></a><em>, Professor of Public Policy, Psychology and Behavioral Science, USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/usc-dornsife-college-of-letters-arts-and-sciences-2669">USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/paul-slovic-359838">Paul Slovic</a>, Professor of Psychology, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-oregon-811">University of Oregon</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-who-are-bad-with-numbers-often-find-it-harder-to-make-ends-meet-even-if-they-are-not-poor-172272">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Poor sleep is really bad for your health. But we found exercise can offset some of these harms

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bo-huei-huang-1243280">Bo-Huei Huang</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-stamatakis-161783">Emmanuel Stamatakis</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p>Despite the well-known links between poor sleep and poorer health, getting enough good quality sleep has become a luxury in modern society.</p> <p>Many of us struggle to improve our sleep, while amid the COVID pandemic and recurring lock-downs, <a href="https://theconversation.com/were-sleeping-more-in-lockdown-but-the-quality-is-worse-155797">our sleep has deteriorated</a>.</p> <p>But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-104046">our new study</a>, published today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, bears some encouraging news.</p> <p>We found doing enough physical activity (including exercise such as running or going to the gym) may counter some of the adverse health effects of unhealthy sleep patterns.</p> <p>Let us explain.</p> <h2>Does poor sleep really harm our health?</h2> <p>Unhealthy sleep patterns include:</p> <ul> <li> <p>not sleeping for long enough (less than seven hours per night for adults)</p> </li> <li> <p>sleeping for too long (more than nine hours per night for adults)</p> </li> <li> <p>snoring</p> </li> <li> <p>insomnia</p> </li> <li> <p>being a night owl, also known as “late chronotype”. This is people who naturally feel most awake and motivated in the evening, and are sluggish in the morning.</p> </li> </ul> <p>They are <a href="https://doi.org/10/ggjqrt">all associated</a> with poorer health.</p> <p>Recent research shows poor sleep may:</p> <ul> <li> <p>cause <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41577-019-0190-z">inflammation</a></p> </li> <li> <p>impair the metabolism of glucose (also known as blood sugar) and reduce the number of calories burned, thereby increasing the risk of <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-sleep-is-so-important-for-losing-weight-145058">obesity</a></p> </li> <li> <p>increase the risk of <a href="https://doi.org/10/gg6x87">heart disease</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10/ggnw5h">premature death</a>.</p> </li> </ul> <p>However, very few studies have examined how sleep and physical activity interact and impact our health.</p> <p>We set out to answer the question: if I have poor sleep but I do quite a lot of physical activity, can that offset some of the harms of my poor sleep in the long-term? Or would this not make any difference?</p> <h2>What did we do?</h2> <p>We analysed the information provided by 380,055 middle-aged adults in the UK Biobank study, recruited between 2006 and 2010. Participants reported their level of physical activity and five aspects of their sleep.</p> <p>We grouped people based on their sleep behaviour into healthy, intermediate or poor.</p> <p>We categorised people’s level of physical activity based on <a href="https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/54/24/1451">the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines</a>. People who met the upper bounds of the guidelines did 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, or 150 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination of both. Those who met the lower bound did 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, or a combination.</p> <p>Moderate intensity physical activity usually makes you slightly out of breath if sustained for a few minutes and includes brisk walking or cycling at a leisurely pace.</p> <p>Vigorous exercise usually makes you breath hard and can include running, swimming, and playing sports like tennis, netball, soccer or footy.</p> <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=409&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=515&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=515&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/408096/original/file-20210624-15-1qfe1ay.png?ixlib=rb-4.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=515&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /><figcaption><span class="caption">Doing at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity a week, or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise, can offset some of the health harms of poor sleep.</span> <span class="attribution"><a class="source" href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/336656/9789240015128-eng.pdf?sequence=1&amp;isAllowed=y">World Health Organization, CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO</a></span></figcaption></figure> <h2>What did we find?</h2> <p>We followed up with the participants after 11 years. By May 2020, 15,503 participants had died, of which 4,095 died from heart disease and 9,064 died from cancer.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2021-104046">We found</a> that, compared to healthy sleepers, people with poor sleep had a 23% higher risk of premature death, a 39% higher risk of dying from heart disease, and a 13% higher risk of dying from cancer.</p> <p>We then compared the data of people who slept well with those who slept poorly, and how much they exercised. We found people who had the highest risk of dying from heart disease and cancer were those who had poor sleep and didn’t meet the WHO physical activity guidelines. On the other hand, those who had poor sleep but did enough physical activity to meet the WHO guidelines didn’t have as high a risk of dying from heart disease or cancer, compared to those who slept poorly and didn’t meet the physical activity guidelines.</p> <p>For example, let’s look at the risk of dying from cancer. Those who had poor sleep and did no physical activity had a 45% higher risk of dying from cancer compared to those who had healthy sleep and exercised a lot. But among those who met the physical activity guidelines, despite poor sleep, they didn’t really have a higher risk of dying from cancer any more.</p> <p>We found physical activity levels which met at least the bottom threshold of the WHO guidelines could reduce or eliminate some of the health harms of poor sleep. So people who did at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise per week were to some extent protected against the detrimental health effects of poor sleep.</p> <p>Those who had both poor sleep and did no moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity had the highest risks of premature death.</p> <p>Our study wasn’t designed to find out how and why physical activity may counteract some of the bad physiological impacts of poor sleep. But other research provides theories. For example, adequate physical activity may <a href="https://doi.org/10.1249/MSS.0000000000001179">reduce inflammation, help maintain a healthy glucose metabolism</a>, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcad.2018.07.014">increase the number of calories burned</a>.</p> <p>It’s important to note our study was what’s called an “observational study”. It shows an association between adequate physical activity and reduced harms from poor sleep, but we must be careful in interpreting causation. It can’t conclusively say adequate physical activity <em>causes</em> the reduction of harms from poor sleep, though there’s strong evidence for an association in the right direction.</p> <p>Our study offers a hopeful message, that even if you haven’t been able to improve your sleep, you can still offset some of the health harms by doing enough exercise. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S009174352030339X">Our previous research</a> has also shown physical activity may help improve poor sleep patterns, which are a serious health problem across the world.</p> <p>In addition to combating some of the negative outcomes of poor sleep, physical activity can also provide many other health benefits and extend our lives. For example, a 2019 study found people who met WHO’s physical activity target above <a href="https://doi.org/10.1186/s12916-019-1339-0">lived three years longer on average</a> than those who didn’t.</p> <p>During lockdowns, access to parks, gyms, and swimming pools might be limited in many places. But there are still many ways to <a href="https://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/health-emergencies/coronavirus-covid-19/publications-and-technical-guidance/noncommunicable-diseases/stay-physically-active-during-self-quarantine">to stay fit and active at home during the coronavirus</a>.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/163270/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/bo-huei-huang-1243280">Bo-Huei Huang</a>, PhD candidate, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a> and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/emmanuel-stamatakis-161783">Emmanuel Stamatakis</a>, Professor of Physical Activity, Lifestyle, and Population Health, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-sydney-841">University of Sydney</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/poor-sleep-is-really-bad-for-your-health-but-we-found-exercise-can-offset-some-of-these-harms-163270">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

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Your parents’ income doesn’t determine yours – unless you’re ultra rich or extremely poor

<div class="theconversation-article-body"><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p>Australia is among the strongest global performers in terms of income mobility between the generations, according to a new <a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Productivity Commission report</a>.</p> <p>The country’s long-term economic growth has led to each generation earning more than the last, on average.</p> <p>Our report finds 67% of the so-called <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/xennials-born-between-millennials-and-gen-x-2017-11">“Xennial”</a> generation – those born in 1976–1982, on the cusp of the Millennial/Gen X divide – earn more than their parents did at a similar age.</p> <p>This is particularly true of those born into poorer families.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="NsmB3" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/NsmB3/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>When we look at where people rank in an income distribution, the picture is a little less rosy. While children with parents at the bottom or top of the income scale are more likely to remain there, almost 15% of people with parents in the lowest income decile, remain there while just 6% move to the top.</p> <p>And those living in poverty - who often include renters, people from migrant backgrounds who don’t speak English at home and single parents - face some of the biggest barriers to improving their economic lot.</p> <p><a href="https://www.pc.gov.au/research/completed/fairly-equal-mobility">Fairly Equal? Economic mobility in Australia</a>, released on Thursday, measures intergenerational income mobility by examining the relationship between a person’s income and the eventual income of their children.</p> <h2>Measuring inequality</h2> <p>Most countries anxiously monitor income distribution and economic mobility amid concerns inequality may be increasing.</p> <p>And countries with high inequality tend to have low mobility: the rungs of the social ladder are far apart making it difficult to move up to the next level.</p> <p>If mobility is low, the consequences are serious. Low mobility is discouraging, unproductive and unstable. If young people have little chance of achieving their aspirations, their wellbeing is affected.</p> <p><a href="https://ideas.repec.org/p/cor/louvco/2023026.html">Social unrest is more likely</a>. And the abilities of young people from less affluent backgrounds are under-used. The next tech entrepreneur Steve Jobs may never be discovered, and many other opportunities are lost.</p> <p>In Australia we are used to thinking of ourselves as having inequality and mobility somewhere between Scandinavia and the US; but that comparison is not as comforting as it used to be, if inequality and mobility are worsening in the US.</p> <p>Our report considers people’s income mobility over the course of their lives, and across generations. If income mobility is low, people will struggle to recover from initial disadvantage, and those born into privilege will be financially secure.</p> <p>First we look at whether people move in the income distribution; there is a surprising amount of movement. And we look for evidence people can access opportunities throughout life, after setbacks.</p> <h2>Recovering from setbacks</h2> <p>There is not much evidence of recovery after a person experiences a severe illness or a job loss, perhaps because the causal factors are still at work.</p> <p>More encouragingly, the income of women who experience separation <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0020/4815110/HILDA-User-Manual-Release-22.0.pdf">does increase</a>, eventually restoring the buying power of their household. This is in part due to well-targeted government support.</p> <p>For intergenerational mobility, we extended the dataset developed by <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">an analytical dataset</a> to measure the influence parents’ income had on the income their offspring were likely to earn.</p> <p>We found Australia’s intergenerational mobility is actually higher than the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/sjoe.12197">Scandinavian</a> countries, and second only to <a href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3662560">Switzerland</a> among comparable studies.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="5DFB9" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/5DFB9/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>In all countries studied there was some link between parents’ income mobility and that of children, because parents pass on tastes, ambitions and abilities.</p> <p>And there was greater correlation between the incomes of mothers and daughters, and fathers and sons than with parents of the opposite gender, perhaps because of role model effects.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="BJ4hD" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/BJ4hD/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>While Australia’s strong income mobility between generations is remarkable, it’s concerning there is less mobility among those at the very bottom and top of the income distribution scale.</p> <p>The fact children born into the poorest families were more likely to remain in the lowest deciles, while those born into the top earning families tended to remain in the top deciles, suggests privilege is often passed on.</p> <p>People who grew up in frequently poor households were <a href="https://melbourneinstitute.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/3537441/HILDA-Statistical-report-2020.pdf">three time more likely</a> to be poor at age 26 to 32 than those who never experienced poverty.</p> <hr /> <p><iframe id="SxHBo" class="tc-infographic-datawrapper" style="border: 0;" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/SxHBo/" width="100%" height="400px" frameborder="0" scrolling="no"></iframe></p> <hr /> <p>And consistent with <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/getmedia/37c2c8b7-328c-41e1-bace-87ed7a551777/australias-welfare-chapter-2-summary-18sept2019.pdf.aspx">other studies</a> we found children whose family received government payments were twice as likely to receive support as adults, compared with those whose families received no help.</p> <h2>Movement in the middle</h2> <p>Taken together, these results suggest some segmentation of opportunities. In the middle of the income distribution, there are opportunities to get ahead, and individuals’ careers are not restricted by their families’ circumstances.</p> <p>At the bottom, things are a lot more “sticky”, and finding opportunities to permanently escape poverty is more difficult. Some of this boils down where people live, peers, school quality and local job options.</p> <p>Researchers <a href="https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/jel.20211413">Deutscher and Mazumder</a> (2023) have shown regional economic conditions have a big impact on mobility, and we show remoteness limits movement out of poverty.</p> <p>Overall, the mobility picture is extremely good news for most Australians.</p> <p>But this should not blind us how difficult it is to move out of poverty, especially for those in remote areas. Identifying where mobility fails to deliver allows us to focus our policy response.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/234158/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/catherine-de-fontenay-5631">Catherine de Fontenay</a>, Honorary Fellow, Department of Economics, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/your-parents-income-doesnt-determine-yours-unless-youre-ultra-rich-or-extremely-poor-234158">original article</a>.</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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How much stress is too much? A psychiatrist explains the links between toxic stress and poor health − and how to get help

<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lawson-r-wulsin-1493655">La<em>wson R. Wulsin</em></a><em>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cincinnati-1717">University of Cincinnati </a></em></p> <p>COVID-19 taught most people that the line between tolerable and toxic stress – defined as persistent demands that lead to disease – varies widely. But some people will age faster and die younger from toxic stressors than others.</p> <p>So how much stress is too much, and what can you do about it?</p> <p>I’m a <a href="https://researchdirectory.uc.edu/p/wulsinlr">psychiatrist specializing in psychosomatic medicine</a>, which is the study and treatment of people who have physical and mental illnesses. My research is focused on people who have psychological conditions and medical illnesses as well as those whose stress exacerbates their health issues.</p> <p>I’ve spent my career studying mind-body questions and training physicians to treat mental illness in primary care settings. My <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/toxic-stress/677FA62B741540DBDB53E2F0A52A74B1">forthcoming book</a> is titled “Toxic Stress: How Stress is Killing Us and What We Can Do About It.”</p> <p>A 2023 study of stress and aging over the life span – one of the first studies to confirm this piece of common wisdom – found that four measures of stress all speed up the pace of biological aging in midlife. It also found that persistent high stress ages people in a comparable way to the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001197">effects of smoking and low socioeconomic status</a>, two well-established risk factors for accelerated aging.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/yiglpsqv5ik?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Children with alcoholic or drug-addicted parents have a greater risk of developing toxic stress.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>The difference between good stress and the toxic kind</h2> <p>Good stress – a demand or challenge you readily cope with – is good for your health. In fact, the rhythm of these daily challenges, including feeding yourself, cleaning up messes, communicating with one another and carrying out your job, helps to regulate your stress response system and keep you fit.</p> <p>Toxic stress, on the other hand, wears down your stress response system in ways that have lasting effects, as psychiatrist and trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk explains in his bestselling book “<a href="https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/313183/the-body-%20keeps-the-score-by-bessel-van-der-kolk-md/">The Body Keeps the Score</a>.”</p> <p>The earliest effects of toxic stress are often persistent symptoms such as headache, fatigue or abdominal pain that interfere with overall functioning. After months of initial symptoms, a full-blown illness with a life of its own – such as migraine headaches, asthma, diabetes or ulcerative colitis – may surface.</p> <p>When we are healthy, our stress response systems are like an orchestra of organs that miraculously tune themselves and play in unison without our conscious effort – a process called self-regulation. But when we are sick, some parts of this orchestra struggle to regulate themselves, which causes a cascade of stress-related dysregulation that contributes to other conditions.</p> <p>For instance, in the case of diabetes, the hormonal system struggles to regulate sugar. With obesity, the metabolic system has a difficult time regulating energy intake and consumption. With depression, the central nervous system develops an imbalance in its circuits and neurotransmitters that makes it difficult to regulate mood, thoughts and behaviors.</p> <h2>‘Treating’ stress</h2> <p>Though stress neuroscience in recent years has given researchers like me <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001051">new ways to measure and understand stress</a>, you may have noticed that in your doctor’s office, the management of stress isn’t typically part of your treatment plan.</p> <p>Most doctors don’t assess the contribution of stress to a patient’s common chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and obesity, partly because stress is complicated to measure and partly because it is difficult to treat. In general, doctors don’t treat what they can’t measure.</p> <p>Stress neuroscience and epidemiology have also taught researchers recently that the chances of developing serious mental and physical illnesses in midlife rise dramatically when people are exposed to trauma or adverse events, especially during <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/ace-brfss.html">vulnerable periods such as childhood</a>.</p> <p>Over the past 40 years in the U.S., the alarming rise in <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/health-equity/diabetes-by-the-numbers.html">rates of diabetes</a>, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/hestat/obesity-child-17-18/overweight-obesity-child-H.pdf">obesity</a>, depression, PTSD, <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db433.htm">suicide</a> and addictions points to one contributing factor that these different illnesses share: toxic stress.</p> <p>Toxic stress increases the risk for the onset, progression, complications or early death from these illnesses.</p> <h2>Suffering from toxic stress</h2> <p>Because the definition of toxic stress varies from one person to another, it’s hard to know how many people struggle with it. One starting point is the fact that about 16% of adults report having been exposed to <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/aces/fastfact.html">four or more adverse events in childhood</a>. This is the threshold for higher risk for illnesses in adulthood.</p> <p>Research dating back to before the COVID-19 pandemic also shows that about 19% of adults in the U.S. have <a href="https://doi.org/10.7249/TL221">four or more chronic illnesses</a>. If you have even one chronic illness, you can imagine how stressful four must be.</p> <p>And about 12% of the U.S. population <a href="https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/introducing-second-edition-world-banks-global-subnational-atlas-poverty">lives in poverty</a>, the epitome of a life in which demands exceed resources every day. For instance, if a person doesn’t know how they will get to work each day, or doesn’t have a way to fix a leaking water pipe or resolve a conflict with their partner, their stress response system can never rest. One or any combination of threats may keep them on high alert or shut them down in a way that prevents them from trying to cope at all.</p> <p>Add to these overlapping groups all those who struggle with harassing relationships, homelessness, captivity, severe loneliness, living in high-crime neighborhoods or working in or around noise or air pollution. It seems conservative to estimate that about 20% of people in the U.S. live with the effects of toxic stress.</p> <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WuyPuH9ojCE?wmode=transparent&amp;start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">Exercise, meditation and a healthy diet help fight toxic stress.</span></figcaption></figure> <h2>Recognizing and managing stress and its associated conditions</h2> <p>The first step to managing stress is to recognize it and talk to your primary care clinician about it. The clinician may do an assessment involving a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1097/PSY.0000000000001051">self-reported measure of stress</a>.</p> <p>The next step is treatment. Research shows that it is possible to retrain a dysregulated stress response system. This approach, <a href="https://lifestylemedicine.org/">called “lifestyle medicine</a>,” focuses on improving health outcomes through changing high-risk health behaviors and adopting daily habits that help the stress response system self-regulate.</p> <p>Adopting these lifestyle changes is not quick or easy, but it works.</p> <p>The <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.html">National Diabetes Prevention Program</a>, the <a href="https://www.ornish.com/">Ornish “UnDo” heart disease program</a> and the <a href="https://www.ptsd.va.gov/understand_tx/tx_basics.asp">U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs PTSD program</a>, for example, all achieve a slowing or reversal of stress-related chronic conditions through weekly support groups and guided daily practice over six to nine months. These programs help teach people how to practice personal regimens of stress management, diet and exercise in ways that build and sustain their new habits.</p> <p>There is now strong evidence that it is possible to treat toxic stress in ways that improve health outcomes for people with stress-related conditions. The next steps include finding ways to expand the recognition of toxic stress and, for those affected, to expand access to these new and effective approaches to treatment.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/222245/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lawson-r-wulsin-1493655"><em>Lawson R. Wulsin</em></a><em>, Professor of Psychiatry and Family Medicine, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-cincinnati-1717">University of Cincinnati</a></em></p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images </em></p> <p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-much-stress-is-too-much-a-psychiatrist-explains-the-links-between-toxic-stress-and-poor-health-and-how-to-get-help-222245">original article</a>.</em></p>

Mind

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"Very poor journalism": Lisa Wilkinson called out in defamation case

<p>Lisa Wilkinson has been forced to defend the journalistic decisions of <em>The Project</em>, as she took to the stand as part of Bruce Lehrmann's defamation case against Wilkinson and Channel Ten. </p> <p>During court proceedings on Friday, Wilkinson admitted that during her bombshell report on Brittany Higgins' rape allegations, the program left out key information. </p> <p><em>The Project</em> allegedly edited out important details about what happened in Parliament House the morning after Brittany Higgins was allegedly raped.</p> <div data-body-element-id="zjCMXjhzxa"> <p>In an uncut version of the episode which aired in February 2021, Wilkinson asked Ms Higgins if any security guards had asked if she was "okay" after the alleged incident.</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="R0B2D1Ni6K"> <p>Ms Higgins replied, "No, no. I mean, besides one who called into the office in the morning, and said ‘Is everyone okay?’ and that was it."</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="2D5V5jCZaQ"> <p>In the final cut, the words "...besides the one who called into the office in the morning" were not included.</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="9FH5ZgE5Ew"> <p>Bruce Lehrmann's barrister Matthew Richardson SC quizzed Wilkinson about the edit, saying, "That's very poor journalism, isn't it?"</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="q0X6OvsQtG"> <p>Wilkinson replied, "I'm disappointed to see that. It is a detail which escaped my attention."</p> <p>Elsewhere during the court proceedings, Wilkinson bit back at Lehrmann's lawyer for challenging her journalistic abilities.</p> <p>On Thursday, Wilkinson was asked why she didn't ask to see the metadata on a photo of a bruise on Brittany Higgins' thigh, which she claimed was from the alleged rape. </p> <p>Wilkinson told the Federal Court that she was not "tech-savvy" and did not know what metadata was, saying, "I didn't know photos had metadata."</p> <div data-body-element-id="A9GzCf-Iqm"> <p>Lehrmann's lawyer Mr Richardson was quick to ask in response: "You describe yourself as a serious investigative journalist?"</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="3eDMnH9cY0"> <p>She bit back, stating she only refers to herself as a "journalist".</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="tMBlnKPjTn"> <p>Mr Richardson said, "You were emphatic yesterday when you said you were not a tabloid journalist.'</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="9WzAcuceor"> <p>She repeated: "I describe myself as a journalist, Mr Richardson."</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="bUfGxqx44_"> <p>He said given she had been a journalist for 40 years, "it was most improbable that you did not know what metadata was."</p> </div> <div data-body-element-id="QIHT-BVE1b"> <p>She replied, "I disagree."</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> </div> </div>

Legal

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Poor Prince Harry taken to the cleaners on live TV

<p>The Duke of Sussex engaged in a thrilling penalty shootout with Germany's defence minister, Boris Pistorius, during a live television broadcast to promote the 2023 Invictus Games – however, Prince Harry's quest for victory ended in disappointment as he failed to score a single goal in six attempts.</p> <p>This friendly (yet competitive!) soccer challenge took place as part of the promotion for the 2023 Invictus Games, which Prince Harry attended in Düsseldorf, Germany. The Duke, aged 38, appeared on the popular German TV show, <em>Das Aktuelles Sportstudio</em>, following the opening ceremony of the Invictus Games.</p> <p>In a clip shared on social media, Prince Harry, alongside Pistorius, Angelo Anderson, and Jens Niemeyer, took turns attempting to kick a soccer ball through one of two holes in a wall on the studio set. The game, known as a shootout, has been a long-standing tradition on the show.</p> <p>Prince Harry jokingly inquired about the consequences of a zero score before being informed that he'd have to don a German jersey if he lost. Undeterred, he stepped up to take his shots, but his first three attempts missed the mark.</p> <p>Pistorius then managed to score twice during his turn, and after other participants took their shots, Harry missed three more times.</p> <p>In the end, rather than a German jersey, Prince Harry was presented with a scarf from the local German club, FSV Mainz 05, which he sportingly wore to the applause of the audience.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="de">Prinz Harry, Bundesverteidigungsminister Boris Pistorius, Angelo Anderson und Jens Niemeyer stellen sich der Herausforderung an der <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/sportstudio?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#sportstudio</a>-Torwand. <a href="https://t.co/liwmkz0zg0">pic.twitter.com/liwmkz0zg0</a></p> <p>— ZDF (@ZDF) <a href="https://twitter.com/ZDF/status/1700637221273862535?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 9, 2023</a></p></blockquote> <p>During the show, Prince Harry also discussed the profound impact of founding the Invictus Games, describing it as a lifeline. He reflected on the shared experiences and stories within the veterans' community, something that resonated deeply with him due to his own military service in the British Army, which included two tours in Afghanistan.</p> <p>The Invictus Games, created by Prince Harry in 2014, are a global sporting event for veterans and service personnel, and this year's edition marked the first time it was hosted in Germany. Previous events were held in London (2014), Orlando (2016), Toronto (2017), Sydney (2018), and The Hague (2022). The 2025 Invictus Games are scheduled to take place in Vancouver and Whistler, Canada.</p> <p>This year's event, running from September 9 to September 16, featured over 500 athletes from 21 countries competing in 10 different sports, representing six continents.</p> <p>In a video message ahead of the event, Prince Harry expressed his excitement about having participants from every continent except Antarctica, humorously adding that they were still working on getting representation from there.</p> <p>At the opening ceremony, Prince Harry gave a speech touching on self-discovery, teamwork, and family life. He welcomed Colombia, Israel, and Nigeria as first-time participants and humorously mentioned that since Meghan Markle discovered her Nigerian ancestry through a genealogy test, the competition might get more competitive in their household.</p> <p>Harry also emphasised the importance of the Invictus Games as a platform for veterans to be part of a supportive community and overcome societal perceptions about disabilities and limitations. He quoted a South Korean competitor, Mr. Na, who shared, "We overcome perceptions of ourselves in society." For Harry, these games were not just about winning medals but about breaking down self-imposed barriers and redefining what's possible.</p> <p><em>Images: Twitter (X) / ZDF</em></p>

TV

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"Just one snowfall away": Aussie ski resorts dismiss doom and gloom warnings

<p>Australian ski resorts have dismissed warnings about the possibility of a below-average snowfall this season as they prepare for opening weekend.</p> <p>Meteorologists have warned that if a number of climate factors combine this winter, the 2023 snow season could be one of the worst in decades.</p> <p>Although images have shown poor snow coverage at NSW and Victoria’s biggest ski resorts, staff have rejected concerns the season won’t pick up.</p> <p>Michael Fearnside, operations director at Perisher Ski Resort, the largest in the southern hemisphere, told <em>news.com.au </em>it is “certainly not doom and gloom” for the industry.</p> <p>According to Fearnside, only time will tell.</p> <p>“This is my 38th winter working in the snow industry and some of our best seasons have begun with low snowfall at the start,” Fearnside said.</p> <p>“Our business is weather dependent but we’re always just one snowfall away, it’s no different to a farmer waiting for the weather to break.”</p> <p>Similar to other resorts, Fearnside added Perisher had made significant investments in snow-making and as a result, they haven’t had to rely on snowfall, with snow guns ready to be deployed “as soon as the conditions are right”.</p> <p>“Our snow-making covers 53.4 hectares across the resort and sets us apart for having the most reliable ski and board experience all season long,”</p> <p>“It’s certainly not doom and gloom, we’ve seen this before and we’re just waiting for the weather pattern to settle down.”</p> <p>Snowy Mountains ski resort Thredbo will need to rely on its own snow-making, despite it and Perisher being the first to see snow in April.</p> <p>Meanwhile, in Victoria’s Alps, the Mount Buller Alpine Resort has been steadily producing a mass amount of snow since the beginning of May and has a network of 341 snow-making guns ready to “kick into action” when necessary.</p> <p>Resort spokeswoman Rhylla Morgan said it is “all hands on deck” to finalise preparations.</p> <p>“In recent seasons there have been bumper early snowfalls and we’ve been spoiled with plenty of natural snow from the beginning,” she said.</p> <p>“And as much as we love to see snowfall at any time, we are taking comfort in the fact that early snow doesn’t translate to a better snow season.”</p> <p>Morgan noted two of the best snow seasons on record at Mt Buller, 1956 and 1958, “had no snow for the season start in June”.</p> <p>“But we’ll leave the forecasting to the professionals and, like all snow enthusiasts, we’ll be watching the forecast closely and hoping for the best.”</p> <p>Victorian resorts, Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek are hoping to repeat the record-breaking 2022 snow season, the first full return after the Covid lockdowns.</p> <p>Mt Hotham’s general manager of operations Len Dobell said the mountaintop resort had its “best season on record” in 2022.</p> <p>Falls Creek Alpine Resort head of marketing Andrew Eckersley said the resort had “more than 500,000 visitation days” in 2022, and was already expecting similar numbers of bookings in 2023.</p> <p>“Last year there was massive pent-up demand from people not being able to ski as much as they want over the last few years in,” Eckersley said.</p> <p>“The fact there’s not a huge amount of difference shows there’s still the appetite to visit the snow.”</p> <p>Although those numbers could be attributed to earlier snowfalls leading to an earlier season opening, Eckersley said he was hopeful the cold front ahead would bring some snow.</p> <p>Sky News Australia meteorologist Alison Osbourne confirmed that despite there being a cold front shifting across the alpine regions, it is not guaranteed to bring snow.</p> <p>“The best weather systems for good snowfall have the most precipitation after a cool change, so it's cold enough for heavy snow,” she said.</p> <p>“This is the opposite, heavy rain is coming before the cold weather does. The freezing level is far too high.</p> <p>“This rain is very likely to wash away the existing cover and while it remains warm, windy, and wet, conditions for snow-making are unfavourable.”</p> <p>Cooler westerly winds are expected to push over the Alps on June 16, lowering the freezing level in time for the June 10 snow season opening, but not enough for significant snowfall.</p> <p>“The silver lining is that snow-making conditions improve for the rest of the weekend.”</p> <p><em>Image credit: Getty</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Why are the poor shunned? The reasons are complicated

<p>In a <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/central-european-history/article/what-it-means-to-have-nothing-poverty-and-the-idea-of-human-dignity-in-nineteenthcentury-germany/8C8F12F666689B75396E67A212E69EBD">study</a> of 19th century ideas of poverty, the German historian Beate Althammer observes a strange dichotomy. On the one hand, “there existed a deep-rooted tradition of ascribing to the poor a special proximity to God”.</p> <p>As a Hamburg teacher wrote in 1834, "Who obliges us more to sympathy and reverence than he who faces the inescapable blows of an erratic fate with manly steadiness, pious resignation and wise abstinence? What a dignified appearance is the neediness simultaneously ennobled and keenly veiled by an indestructible love of honor, which will bear suffering rather than pity!"</p> <p>Yet the same teacher sounds a dissonant note when writing about the “depraved, ignominious poverty” of the beggar, “who has rid himself of all shame and discipline on the way to impoverishment”. </p> <p>“Where idleness has become a trade and begging a fraudulent art,” he continues, “all human feeling has died.”</p> <p>The idea that the poor are impoverished morally as well as materially, that they lack humanity as well as means, has a long history. It is expressed most mordantly in Jonathan Swift’s <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1080/1080-h/1080-h.htm">A Modest Proposal</a>, a 1729 satire on British attitudes to Irish poverty.</p> <p>Starvation among large families could be averted with a simple solution, "A young healthy child well nursed, is, at a year old, a most delicious nourishing and wholesome food, whether stewed, roasted, baked, or boiled; and I make no doubt that it will equally serve in a fricassee, or a ragout."</p> <p>Swift’s suggestion that poor children could become a commercial food source is mocking heartless responses to poverty. His “proposal” rests on a dehumanising equation of people with animals or consumer goods. A new book argues that this animus is an enduring feature of contemporary society.</p> <h2>Aporophobia</h2> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adela_Cortina">Adela Cortina</a> is a distinguished Spanish political philosopher who has written extensively on ethics, justice, civil society and democracy. Around the new millennium, she began to write on the rejection of the poor as an overlooked form of prejudice.</p> <p>Cortina coined the term “aporophobia” – from the Ancient Greek aporos, meaning poor or without means – and published an influential 2017 book on the subject in Spanish. That book has now been published in English as <a href="https://press.princeton.edu/books/hardcover/9780691205526/aporophobia">Aporophobia: Why We Reject the Poor Instead of Helping Them</a>.</p> <p>Cortina does not present aporophobia as a clinical condition or narrowly as a species of fear. Much like other faux-phobias, such as homophobia and xenophobia, she takes it to be a widespread aversion, based on contempt as much as dread, which justifies the ongoing deprecation of the poor.</p> <p>Her primary case for the reality and significance of aporophobia rests on the harsh treatment of immigrants and displaced people. What might first appear to be a xenophobic response, Cortina argues, may not be motivated by their foreignness or race, but by the perception that their poverty leaves them unable to reciprocate the host nation’s beneficence, "Do we reject immigrants because they are foreign or because they are poor and seem to bring problems while offering nothing of value in return?"</p> <p>Cortina observes that some groups of foreigners are welcomed. Tourists, investors and international students, all of whom bring resources, encounter widespread xenophilia. The roots of prejudice towards immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers, Cortina suggests, are therefore to be found in the perception of their indigence rather than their alienness.</p> <p>Having defined and made a theoretical case for aporophobia, Cortina moves on to the problem of hatred, understood as group-based animosity based on the assumed superiority of its perpetrators. </p> <p>Hate crimes against the poor and homeless motivated by aporophobia, which she estimates as constituting around 1% of Spain’s total, must be acknowledged and taken seriously. Even so, she maintains that aporophobic hatred is distinct from other kinds because “involuntary poverty […] is neither a personal identity nor a choice”.</p> <p>Cortina’s prescription for combating hate speech is the cultivation of “active respect” and “mutual recognition of dignity” in civil society. Juridical solutions are insufficient, she maintains. The grounds for objecting to hate speech is a proposed “right to self-esteem”, a right that some might seem to have in excess. </p> <p>Although many examples of hate speech appear to be based on race, religion or ideology, Cortina proposes that poverty is their essential common ingredient. Aporophobia, she argues, “is inevitably at the root of speech acts that target those in subordinate positions”. On this expansive view, any form of subordination or “position of weakness” is interpreted as a form of poverty. </p> <p>Overcoming hatred may be challenging because “our brains are aporophobic”. Cortina explores the neuroscience of social conflict, finding evidence of a “contractualist brain” that is primed to expect reciprocity and respond with moralistic aggression to violations of that principle. To override this brain-based rejection of free riders, she argues, we need a program of “moral bioenhancement”. </p> <p>The ultimate way forward does not involve tinkering with our brains, however. “Economic institutions that eliminate poverty and inequality are the best ways to eradicate aporophobia.” In addition, universal values and “cosmopolitan hospitality” must be taught and practised. Cortina closes her book with suggestions for how a more compassionate citizenry and a more economically fair international order can be created.</p> <h2>Impoverished emotions</h2> <p>Cortina’s work is a philosophically rich and sometimes rousing call to end poverty and secure human dignity. Whether the concept of aporophobia can bear the interpretive load she places on it is another matter. The concept is both too narrow and too ambitious to serve its intended explanatory function. Its diagnosis of the source of antipathy to the poor is questionable in three respects.</p> <p>First, the concept of aporophobia asserts that the ingredients of antipathy to the poor are fear and contempt. The poor are dreaded from a position of threat and scorned from a position of imagined superiority. These emotional elements may be present in responses to the poor, but indifference and neglect are at least equally powerful. The poor suffer as much from a cold lack of concern, reinforced by spatial separation, as they do from heated aversion. Residential segregation and national borders help to keep poverty out of sight and out of mind, but this motivated ignorance is invisible in Cortina’s account.</p> <p>Second, the concept of aporophobia overlooks a key aspects of the rejection of the poor. By centring fear and contempt, Cortina omits the moral dimension of that aversion. The poor are not merely dreaded and scorned, but are also believed to have transgressed rules of fairness. This dynamic is evident in the dichotomous reactions to the virtuous and vicious poor characters mentioned at the beginning of this review. Polarised responses to people viewed as deserving and undeserving of their impoverished state are common. Those seen as not responsible for their condition are judged worthy, whereas those who are thought to have brought it on themselves are reviled. Attitudes to the poor hinge on moral evaluations of deservingness, which ideas of amoral aversion fail to capture.</p> <p>Third, if our views of the poor are indeed polarised by judgements of deservingness, is there a powerful aversion to the poor as a class, as Cortina suggests, or only to its undeserving variety? The poor are sometimes stereotyped as lacking in warmth and capability – though <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/josi.12208">not invariably</a>. But it is unclear whether that perception reveals attitudes to poverty per se or only to that demonised form. </p> <p><a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/asap.12313">Recent Australian research</a> suggests that evaluations of poverty may be quite benevolent. The study examined how public attitudes are influenced by poverty, unemployment and receipt of income support. It found that poverty itself carries little stigma. Members of the working poor were judged no less sympathetically than other workers. </p> <p>Being unemployed, however, carried a negative charge, and receiving unemployment benefits an additional one. Benefit recipients were perceived as less disciplined, emotionally stable and warm than other unemployed people. </p> <p>These findings are consistent with the well established phenomenon of <a href="https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/journal-of-social-policy/article/abs/stigma-of-claiming-benefits-a-quantitative-study/AF30092AE7D5B7C659798228B219F02C">benefit stigma</a>, related to a stereotype of recipients as lazy, parasitic, and undeserving. They are not consistent with an aversion to poor people that is directly attributable to their poverty. Any account that invokes an amoral generalised aversion to the poor rather than a moralised aversion to the supposedly undeserving poor is incomplete.</p> <h2>Is aporophobia primary?</h2> <p>In addition to querying Cortina’s characterisation of the emotions underlying our views of the poor, we can also quibble with her argument for the primacy of aporophobia over xenophobia in the rejection of immigrants and displaced people. </p> <p>It is unquestionably true that attitudes to outsiders are rarely monolithically negative, and that wealthy foreigners are welcomed in ways that refugees are not. But the argument that xenophobia can be reduced to aporophobia – not to mention the more general claim that aporophobia is at the root of all forms of subordination – is entirely far-fetched. </p> <p>Our tendency to show an ethnocentric preference for our own kind – to value and favour in-group over out-group – is very <a href="https://spssi.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/0022-4537.00126">well established</a> and even wealthy outsiders are not immune to it. We routinely denigrate and distrust foreign nationals, even – and sometimes especially – when they are rich and powerful. </p> <p>The fact that poverty is one reason for our rejection of immigrants or displaced persons does not make it the only one. Any rejection based on lack of means or reciprocity is compounded by rejection based on foreignness (xenophobia), on race, and potentially on other factors, such as religion or gender. </p> <p>To reduce the hostility of rich European nations to immigrants from North Africa and beyond to aporophobia, as Cortina does, or to racism, as others prefer to do, is to oversimplify. Single-barrelled explanations overlook the fact that prejudice is layered.</p> <p>Consider Australia’s historically unwelcoming attitude to many immigrants and displaced persons. It has been popular to view this rejection through a racism or xenophobia monocle. If that were the whole story, public attitudes would be equally antagonistic to immigrants, refugees admitted through the humanitarian program, and undocumented asylum seekers. But those attitudes are decidedly unequal.</p> <p>Attitudes towards immigrants are typically warmer and more compassionate than those towards refugees, with special scorn reserved for undocumented boat arrivals. Aporophobia may help to account for some of these differences: immigrants are assumed to be skilled and economically self-sufficient, whereas refugees and asylum seekers are assumed to require substantial welfare supports. </p> <p>However, much of the animus towards asylum seekers focuses not on their race, foreignness, or lack of resources, but on moralistic reactions to their mode of entry, as the shrill language of “illegals” and “queue-jumpers” attests. To reduce popular attitudes towards displaced people to racism, xenophobia or aporophobia is to bulldoze several tiers of aversion into one flattened explanation.</p> <h2>A confluence of factors</h2> <p>Social rejection can take many forms and have many determinants. The idea of “<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intersectionality">intersectionality</a>” offers one perspective. How we evaluate and respond to a person may reflect the unique intersection of their identities. The stereotype of “Asian woman” is not a simple sum of the stereotypes of “Asian” and “woman” but may call up a distinct configuration of perceptions. </p> <p>Sometimes, though, it helps to remember that some attitudes are not so much intersectional as additive, at least in their virulence. How negatively we perceive groups such as asylum seekers may reflect a confluence of factors: their outsider status, their race, their poverty, their officially sanctioned versus unsanctioned means of entering the country, and so on. </p> <p>“Additivity” doesn’t have the same ring as “intersectionality”, but it might help to warn us off simplifying accounts of social exclusion.</p> <p>Aporophobia is nevertheless a valuable addition to the social scientist’s conceptual arsenal. Cortina’s work draws welcome attention to a form of prejudice that is too often shunted aside by our identitarian focus on race, gender and sexuality. </p> <p>We might quibble with some inflated claims for the primacy of aporophobia, with the imperfect analysis of its emotional signature, and with the omission of social class from Cortina’s discussion of economic inequality. Her emphasis on the rejection of displaced people within European nations – understandable given the book’s original publication in 2017 when a refugee crisis was convulsing the continent – can also be faulted. Examining public responses to the domestic poor might afford a clearer view of aporophobia than one complicated by displacement and ethnic differences.</p> <p>Despite these reservations, Cortina has written a significant work of social philosophy that deserves close attention in the Anglophone world. Aporophobia is a provocative book that will stimulate discussion, argument and investigation.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-are-the-poor-shunned-the-reasons-are-complicated-194808" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Caring

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Social media use and poor wellbeing feed into each other in a vicious cycle

<p>We often hear about the negative impacts of social media on our wellbeing, but we don’t usually think of it the other way round – whereby how we feel may impact how we use social media.</p> <p>In a <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-022-02363-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recent study</a>, my colleagues and I investigated the relationship between social media use and wellbeing in more than 7,000 adults across four years, using survey responses from the longitudinal <a href="https://www.psych.auckland.ac.nz/en/about/new-zealand-attitudes-and-values-study.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">New Zealand Attitudes and Values Study</a>.</p> <p>We found social media use and wellbeing impact each other. Poorer wellbeing – specifically higher psychological distress and lower life satisfaction – predicted higher social media use one year later, and higher social media use predicted poorer wellbeing one year later.</p> <p><strong>A vicious cycle</strong></p> <p>Interestingly, wellbeing impacted social media use <em>more</em> than the other way round.</p> <p>Going from having “no distress” to being distressed “some of the time”, or “some of the time” to “most of the time”, was associated with an extra 27 minutes of daily social media use one year later. These findings were the same for men and women across all age groups.</p> <p>This suggests people who have poor wellbeing might be turning to social media more, perhaps as a coping mechanism – but this doesn’t seem to be helping. Unfortunately, and paradoxically, turning to social media may worsen the very feelings and symptoms someone is hoping to escape.</p> <p>Our study found higher social media use results in poorer wellbeing, which in turn increases social media use, exacerbating the existing negative feelings, and so on. This creates a vicious cycle in which people seem to get trapped.</p> <p>If you think this might describe your relationship with social media, there are some strategies you can use to try to get out of this vicious cycle.</p> <p><strong>Reflect on how and why you use social media</strong></p> <p>Social media aren’t inherently bad, but <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/jcmc/zmz013" target="_blank" rel="noopener">how and why</a> we use them is really important – <em>even more</em> than how much time we spend on social media. For example, using social media to interact with others or for entertainment has been linked to improved wellbeing, whereas engaging in comparisons on social media can be detrimental to wellbeing.</p> <p>So chat to your friends and watch funny dog videos to your heart’s content, but just watch out for those comparisons.</p> <p>What we look at online is important too. One <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bodyim.2020.02.002" target="_blank" rel="noopener">experimental study</a> found just ten minutes of exposure to “fitspiration” images (such as slim/toned people posing in exercise clothing or engaging in fitness) led to significantly poorer mood and body image in women than exposure to travel images.</p> <p>And mindless scrolling can also be harmful. Research suggests this passive use of social media is more damaging to wellbeing <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/sipr.12033" target="_blank" rel="noopener">than active use</a> (such as talking or interacting with friends).</p> <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=1000&amp;fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=600&amp;h=400&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=45&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=30&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/489514/original/file-20221013-6097-aup4h7.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&amp;q=15&amp;auto=format&amp;w=754&amp;h=503&amp;fit=crop&amp;dpr=3 2262w" alt="A person scrolls through a social media site on their phone" /></a><figcaption><span class="caption">Mindless scrolling can be damaging to your wellbeing.</span> <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Shutterstock</span></span></figcaption></figure> <p>So be mindful about how and why you use social media, and how it makes you feel! If most of your use falls under the “harmful” category, that’s a sign to change or cut down your use, or even take a break. One 2015 experiment with more than 1,000 participants found taking a break from Facebook for just one week <a href="https://doi.org/10.1089/cyber.2016.0259" target="_blank" rel="noopener">increased life satisfaction</a>.</p> <p><strong>Don’t let social media displace other activities</strong></p> <p>Life is all about balance, so make sure you’re still doing important activities away from your phone that support your wellbeing. <a href="https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.609967" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Research</a> suggests time spent outdoors, on hobbies or crafts, and engaging in physical activity can help improve your wellbeing.</p> <p>So put your phone down and organise a picnic with friends, join a new class, or find an enjoyable way to move your body.</p> <p><strong>Address your poor wellbeing</strong></p> <p>According to our <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00127-022-02363-2" target="_blank" rel="noopener">findings</a>, it may be useful to think of your own habitual social media use as a symptom of how you’re feeling. If your use suggests you aren’t in a good place, perhaps you need to identify and address what’s getting you down.</p> <p>The first, very crucial step is getting help. A great place to start is talking to a health professional such as your general practitioner or a therapist. You can also reach out to organisations like <a href="https://www.beyondblue.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Beyond Blue</a> and <a href="https://headspace.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Headspace</a> for evidence-based support.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/191590/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Writen by Hannah Jarman. Republished with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/social-media-use-and-poor-wellbeing-feed-into-each-other-in-a-vicious-cycle-here-are-3-ways-to-avoid-getting-stuck-191590" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Technology

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People who are bad with numbers often find it harder to make ends meet – even if they are not poor

<h2>The big idea</h2> <p>People who are bad with numbers are more likely to experience financial difficulties than people who are good with numbers. That’s according to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our analyses</a> of the <a href="https://wrp.lrfoundation.org.uk/explore-the-poll" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lloyd’s Register Foundation World Risk Poll</a>.</p> <p>In this World Risk Poll, people from 141 countries were asked if 10% was bigger than, smaller than or the same as 1 out of 10. Participants were said to be bad with numbers if they did not provide the correct answer – which is that 10% is the same as 1 out of 10. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our analyses</a> found that people who answered incorrectly are often among the poorest in their country. Prior studies in the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-0297.2010.02394.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United States</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1475-5890.2007.00052.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">United Kingdom</a>, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joep.2016.02.011" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the Netherlands</a> and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12294" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Peru</a> had also found that people who are bad with numbers are financially worse off. But <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">our analyses of the World Risk Poll</a> further showed that people who are bad with numbers find it harder to make ends meet, even if they are not poor.</p> <p>When we say that they found it harder to make ends meet, we mean that they reported on the poll that they found it difficult or very difficult to live on their current income, as opposed to living comfortably or getting by on their current income.</p> <p><a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Our analyses</a> also indicate that staying in school longer is related to better number ability. People with a high school degree tend to be better with numbers than people without a high school degree. And college graduates do even better. But even among college graduates there are people who are bad with numbers – and they struggle more financially.</p> <p>Of course, being good with numbers is not going to help you stretch your budget if you are very poor. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0260378" target="_blank" rel="noopener">We found</a> that the relationship between number ability and struggling to make ends meet holds across the world, except in low-income countries like Ethiopia, Somalia and Rwanda.</p> <h2>Why it matters</h2> <p>The ability to understand and use numbers is also called <a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">numeracy</a>. Numeracy is <a href="https://doi.org/10.1787/1f029d8f-en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">central to modern adult life</a> because numbers are everywhere.</p> <p>A lot of well-paying jobs involve working with numbers. People who are bad with numbers often perform worse in these jobs, including <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ecin.12873" target="_blank" rel="noopener">banking</a>. It can therefore be hard for people who are bad with numbers to <a href="http://www.doi.org/10.1108/00400919710164125" target="_blank" rel="noopener">find employment and progress in their jobs</a>.</p> <p>People who are bad with numbers are less likely <a href="https://www.pnas.org/content/116/39/19386.short" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to make good financial decisions</a>. Individuals who can’t compute how interest compounds over time <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-6261.2009.01518.x" target="_blank" rel="noopener">save the least and borrow the most</a>. People with poor numerical skills are also more likely <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">to take on high-cost debt</a>. If you’re bad with numbers, it is hard to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1017/S1474747215000232" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recognize</a> that paying the US$30 minimum payment on a credit card with a $3,000 balance and an annual percentage rate of 12% means it will never be paid off.</p> <h2>What still isn’t known</h2> <p>It is clear that people who are bad with numbers also tend to struggle financially. But we still need to explore whether teaching people math will help them to avoid financial problems.</p> <h2>What’s next</h2> <p>In her book “<a href="http://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780190861094.001.0001" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Innumeracy in the Wild</a>,” Ellen Peters, director of the Center for Science Communication Research at the University of Oregon, suggests that it is important for students to take math classes. American high school students who had to <a href="https://doi.org/10.3368/jhr.51.3.0113-5410R1" target="_blank" rel="noopener">take more math courses</a> than were previously required had better financial outcomes later in life, such as avoiding bankruptcy and foreclosures.</p> <p>Successfully teaching numeracy also means helping students gain confidence in using numbers. People with <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1903126116" target="_blank" rel="noopener">low numerical confidence</a> experience bad financial outcomes, such as a foreclosure notice, independent of their numeric ability. This is because they may not even try to take on complex financial decisions.</p> <p>Numerical confidence can be boosted in different ways. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.41.3.586" target="_blank" rel="noopener">elementary school children</a> who were bad with numbers, setting achievable goals led to better numerical confidence and performance. Among American <a href="https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0180674" target="_blank" rel="noopener">undergraduate students</a>, a writing exercise that affirmed their positive values improved their numerical confidence and performance.</p> <p>Other important next steps are to find out whether training in numeracy can also be provided to adults, and whether training in numeracy improves the financial outcomes of people who do not live in high-income countries.</p> <div> <p><em><strong>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/people-who-are-bad-with-numbers-often-find-it-harder-to-make-ends-meet-even-if-they-are-not-poor-172272" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.</strong></em></p> <p><em>Image: Shutterstock</em></p> </div>

Money & Banking

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Stroke, cancer and other chronic diseases more likely for those with poor mental health

<p><a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-statistics/health-welfare-services/mental-health-services/overview">Four million Australians</a>, including our friends, family members, co-workers and neighbours, are living with mental health conditions, including anxiety and depression.</p> <p>A <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/australian-health-policy-collaboration/publications#chronic-diseases">new report out today</a> from the <a href="https://www.vu.edu.au/australian-health-policy-collaboration">Australian Health Policy Collaboration</a> has found these four million Australians are at much greater risk of chronic physical disease and much greater risk of early death.</p> <p>Having a mental health condition increases the risk of every major chronic disease. Heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, back pain, diabetes, asthma, bronchitis, emphysema and cancer are all much more likely to occur among people with anxiety and depression. </p> <p>More than 2.4 million people have both a mental and at least one physical health condition.</p> <p>For the first time in Australia, this report quantifies the extent of this problem. For example, people with mental health conditions are more likely to have a circulatory system disease (that is, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke). The likelihood increases by 52% for men, and 41% for women.</p> <p>More than a million people are affected by both a circulatory system disease and a mental health condition. These diseases are Australia’s biggest killers.</p> <p>For painful, debilitating conditions such as arthritis and back pain, the numbers are even higher. Arthritis is 66% more likely for men with mental health conditions, and 46% more likely for women, with 959,000 people affected.</p> <p>Back pain is 74% more likely for men with mental health conditions, and 68% more likely for women, with more than a million affected.</p> <p>The gender differences are significant. Women with mental health conditions are much more likely to have asthma than women across Australia as a whole (70% more likely), while men are 49% more likely to have asthma with a mental health condition.</p> <p>The biggest gender difference is cancer. Men with mental health conditions are 84% more likely to have cancer than the general population, and for women the figure is 20%.</p> <p>As more women live with mental health conditions than men, overall, women are 23% more likely to be living with both a mental and physical health condition than men.</p> <p>The report shows having a co-existing mental health condition and chronic physical disease generally results in worse quality of life, greater functional decline, needing to use more health care and higher healthcare costs. </p> <p>These people require more treatment, use more medications, and have to spend more time, energy and money managing their health. People with a mental health condition are also <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(12)60240-2/abstract">more likely to be poorer</a>, less likely to work, less likely to receive health screening and, sadly, <a href="https://www.rethink.org/media/810988/Rethink%20Mental%20Illness%20-%20Lethal%20Discrimination.pdf">more likely to receive substandard care</a> for their physical diseases.</p> <p>On average, people with mental health conditions die younger than the general population, and mostly from preventable conditions. We know from <a href="https://www.bmj.com/content/346/bmj.f2539">earlier research</a>that people with severe mental illnesses die much earlier than the rest of the population. Our report shows even common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression contribute to more chronic disease, leading to higher rates of early death.</p> <h2>Why?</h2> <p>We don’t know exactly why people with mental health conditions have poorer physical health. The <a href="https://acmedsci.ac.uk/policy/policy-projects/multimorbidity">Academy of Medical Sciences</a> has identified that poor mental health and psychosocial risk factors such as feeling dissatisfied with life, not feeling calm, having sleep problems that affect work, and financial concerns can predict physical disease.</p> <p>Other factors, such as <a href="https://theconversation.com/low-income-earners-are-more-likely-to-die-early-from-preventable-diseases-87676">low socioeconomic status</a>, poor social networks, living in rural areas and smoking are associated with both poor mental health and poor physical health.</p> <p>We do know people with mental health conditions often don’t receive advice about healthy lifestyles, don’t get common tests for disease, and are less likely to receive treatment for disease. Some of this is due to <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21379357">stigma and discrimination</a>, and sometimes it’s neglect. People with mental health conditions can <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/Publications/RANZCP-Serious-Mental-Illness.aspx">fall through the gaps between disjointed physical and mental health systems</a>. </p> <h2>What can we do about it?</h2> <p>There is <a href="https://www.ranzcp.org/Files/Publications/RANZCP-Keeping-body-and-mind-together.aspx">momentum for change</a> among the mental health sector, with dozens of organisations signing up to the <a href="https://equallywell.org.au/">Equally Well</a> consensus statement. This aims to improve the quality of life of people living with mental illness by providing equal access to quality health care. </p> <p>There’s some great work being done around the country, including in the <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/inm.12459">Hunter region</a>, where people with mental health conditions can access tailored help with physical health risk factors such as smoking and diet.</p> <p>People using mental health services should have their physical health regularly assessed, and any problems addressed as early as possible. Better coordination of care would preserve healthcare resources and improve quality of life.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Getty Images</em></p> <p><em>This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/stroke-cancer-and-other-chronic-diseases-more-likely-for-those-with-poor-mental-health-100955" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>. </em></p>

Mind

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Poor Nat Barr's massive red carpet fail

<p dir="ltr">Natalie Barr was left embarrassed and flustered on the Oscars red carpet as she failed to wave down celebrities with a packet of Tim Tams. </p> <p dir="ltr">This is the first time the <em>Sunrise</em> co-host covered the Oscars and was left a rambling mess with many viewers unsure she was the right person for the job. </p> <p dir="ltr">Holding a packet of Tim Tams in an attempt to lure celebrities, Barr was embarrassingly unsuccessful given the fact that other experienced reporters were nearby. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We’ve got ET one side and Access Hollywood on the other side,” she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“These guys know what they’re doing … I’m basically just stealing all the people who stop for them. </p> <p dir="ltr">“I just sort of butt-in. Sometimes it works, sometimes it fails dismally.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Barr managed to interview Nicole Kidman, Tiffany Haddish, Billie Eilish, Kirsten Dunst, Kevin Costner and Jesse Plemons while the others walked past ignoring her.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Even the lure of a Tim Tam wasn't enough for <a href="https://twitter.com/sunriseon7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@sunriseon7</a> host <a href="https://twitter.com/natalie_barr?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@natalie_barr</a> to tempt <a href="https://twitter.com/serenawilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@serenawilliams</a> or <a href="https://twitter.com/Venuseswilliams?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Venuseswilliams</a> for an <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oscars?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oscars</a> red carpet chat!</p> <p>Catch <a href="https://twitter.com/TheAcademy?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TheAcademy</a> Awards exclusively on <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@channel7</a> <a href="https://t.co/jeeLjxD9oG">pic.twitter.com/jeeLjxD9oG</a></p> <p>— The Morning Show (@morningshowon7) <a href="https://twitter.com/morningshowon7/status/1508230129201266689?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 27, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Another mishap was when she was snubbed by Venus Williams, who completely ignored Barr after calling her her sister’s name Serena.</p> <p dir="ltr">Back in the studio in Australia, <em>The Morning Show’s</em> Kylie Gillies pointed out that it was actually Venus, while Larry Emdur chuckled next to her.</p> <p dir="ltr">Barr tried to call her back introducing “Australian television” saying “we love tennis”.</p> <p dir="ltr">Venus was seen walking away as Barr stood there unsure of what to do, before she bent down and grabbed the packet of Tim Tams.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Would you like a Tim Tam? It’s an Australian delicacy,” Barr asked as she turned around, only to find Venus had already walked off and was being interviewed by ET.</p> <p dir="ltr">Barr hovered nearby listening to the interview before asking the studio if it was “rude to put my mic in”.</p> <p dir="ltr">The interview finished and Barr tried one more time to call Venus over before she was shut down by Kylie who said they’d go back to her when she had someone else. </p> <p dir="ltr">Viewers were left stunned and criticised Barr’s coverage, saying someone with more experience should have been at the Oscars.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Oh dear God. What a mess.Laughing stock,” someone wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr">“So embarrassing, Nat is so out of her league,” another commented.</p> <p dir="ltr">“Dickie or Angela Bishop would've had a better chance in getting Serena or Venus,” someone suggested. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Embarrassing for Australian TV,” another wrote.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Morning Show</em></p>

TV

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Meghan Markle’s book’s poor debut

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Meghan Markle’s new children’s book has had an inauspicious start as sales dive and critics seem unimpressed.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Bench</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;"> debuted at number 60 on Amazon’s children’s books chart but failed to make the top 200 bestsellers list.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sales have been poor despite a $5.50 reduction on its initial $24 cover price on the website.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Within hours of its release, WH Smith had marked its copies with “buy one get one half price” stickers according to </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Sun</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A $5.50 discount was also seen at Waterstones in Piccadilly, central London.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The poor performance comes after Kate Middleton’s photography book, </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Hold Still</span><span style="font-weight: 400;">, hit the number two spot on Amazon on its release date in May.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Duchess of Sussex said the book was based on a poem she had penned for Prince Harry on Father’s Day.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Dedicating the 34-page book to him and son Archie, she called them “the man and boy who make my heart go pump-pump.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When it came to reviews, the book was dismissed by online critics as a vanity project that should have stayed in the family.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Alex O’Connell, arts editor at </span><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Times</span></em><span style="font-weight: 400;">, said: “The story is so lacking in action and jeopardy you half wonder if the writing job was delegated to a piece of furniture.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The book, illustrated by US illustrator Christian Robinson, shows Meghan cradling newborn daughter Lillibet while Harry and Archie feed chickens.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">A diverse group of fathers and their growing sons are also shown connecting over life’s simple pleasures throughout the book, which tells the story of an eternal bond between a father and son as witnessed through the eyes of a mother.</span></p>

Books

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Veterans have poorer mental health than Australians overall

<p>A career in the Australian Defence Force (ADF), or the armed forces in any country, can be rewarding, but also demanding. Challenges include the rigorous training, frequent moves, and maintaining social connections.</p> <p>Beyond this, military personnel may be exposed to trauma during combat, peace-keeping missions, border protection, disaster and humanitarian relief, and training accidents.</p> <p>They may be confronted not only with threats to their own lives or safety, but also with the suffering or death of others, which can have a significant emotional and <a href="http://www.defence.gov.au/Health/DMH/Docs/MHPWSReport-FullReport.pdf">psychological impact</a>.</p> <p>So it’s not surprising we see <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/health-studies/mental-health-prevalence-report">higher rates of mental illness</a> among veterans compared to the overall Australian population.</p> <p>The rates of suicide are also concerning, particularly among younger veterans. Between 2001 and 2016, <a href="https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports/veterans/national-veteran-suicide-monitoring/contents/summary">373 Australian veterans</a> took their lives. Male veterans under 30 had a suicide rate more than twice the national average for men the same age. These figures have led to considerable community concern, including <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/drive/plea-to-pm-for-royal-commission-into-veterans-suicide/11678984">calls for a royal commission</a> into veteran suicide.</p> <p>Whether or not this eventuates, we should be targeting veterans with a high level of care that better reflects their unique set of needs.</p> <p><strong>Transitioning back into civilian life</strong></p> <p>Recent research has highlighted <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/social-research/transition-and-wellbeing-research">one of the most challenging periods for military personnel</a> can be transitioning back to civilian life.</p> <p>Major lifestyle changes can be stressful for anyone, but leaving the ADF can feel like more than leaving a job. It will likely represent a change in a person’s way of life across the board.</p> <p>While many transitioning personnel may initially experience some uncertainty and a sense of losing some part of themselves, most make the adjustment successfully. For others, the problems may not go away and for some, may become worse, unless they receive help.</p> <p>A comprehensive study commissioned by the Departments of Veterans’ Affairs (DVA) and Defence in 2015 found ADF members who had discharged or transitioned to the Reserves were <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/social-research/transition-and-wellbeing-research">at greater risk</a> of experiencing mental health issues compared to both those who were still serving and the broader Australian community.</p> <p>For example, in the previous 12 months, 17.7% of transitioned ADF personnel had experienced post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) compared to 8.7% still serving in the ADF full-time, and 5.2% in the Australian community.</p> <p>Other common mental health conditions in transitioned ADF personnel include depression (11.2%), and anxiety disorders such as panic disorder (5.4%), agoraphobia (11.9%) and social phobia (11%), all estimated to be higher than <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4326.0Main+Features32007?OpenDocument">rates in the general population</a>.</p> <p>Rates of suicidality (thinking about, planning or attempting suicide) were more than double for those who had transitioned out of full-time ADF service compared to those still serving in the ADF full-time (21.7% versus 8.8%), and <a href="https://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Lookup/4326.0Main+Features32007?OpenDocument">ten times greater</a> than the Australian community.</p> <p><strong>Seeking and receiving help</strong></p> <p>About 75% of veterans who reported they had mental health concerns in the DVA study had sought and received assistance at some point from a GP or mental health professional. These rates are much higher than in the general community and auger well for the <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/health-studies/pathways-care-report">preparedness of veterans to seek care</a>.</p> <p>However, as is the case in the Australian community and internationally, there is an under-engagement with evidence-based treatment and practice. Only <a href="https://www.dva.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing/research-and-development/social-research/transition-and-wellbeing-research">about 25%</a> of help-seeking veterans were estimated to be receiving evidence-based care, such as cognitive behavioural therapy. This may be because veterans don’t stay engaged in health services for long enough to receive evidence-based treatments.</p> <p>So while the help-seeking and care delivery for veterans is on par with, and in some ways exceeds, that of the general community, there’s room for improvement to ensure veterans remain engaged with services and receive the treatment they need.                                                                                                                                                                                                            </p> <p><strong>What could we be doing better?</strong></p> <p>Coming from a health system in the armed forces where health care is organised for them, veterans may have heightened expectations about the level of coordinated and integrated practice.</p> <p>So first, we need improved integration and coordination of services, including development of outreach capabilities which more proactively engage with veterans and their families and connect them to appropriate services. Outreach can be led by health professionals or intersect with existing peer support networks.</p> <p>Second, we need to enhance the knowledge and skills among health professionals in the various services to which veterans are reaching out. Importantly, services and treatments should be delivered with appropriate “military cultural awareness”.</p> <p>This means practitioners demonstrating they understand the types of experiences veterans may have been exposed to, and the potential lasting impacts of these experiences. Veterans are likely to be more engaged in services if they feel well understood.</p> <p>Parallel to this, we need to be aware of the needs of, and actively support, the families who often bear the brunt of the mental health problems experienced by the veterans. <a href="https://www.openarms.gov.au/">Open Arms – Veterans &amp; Families Counselling</a>, a free national counselling service, plays a large role in provision of this support.</p> <p>Ultimately we need to continue to focus on innovations in the prevention of and early interventions for mental health problems among veterans, including suicidality. In doing so we must maintain a focus on well-being outcomes more broadly and not just on symptoms and conditions, ensuring our goal remains assisting veterans in living a meaningful and satisfying life in all its domains.</p> <p><em>If this article has raised issues for you or you’re concerned about someone you know, call Open Arms on 1800 011 046 or Lifeline on 13 11 14.</em></p> <p><em>Written by Nicole Sadler. Republished with permission of <a href="https://theconversation.com/veterans-have-poorer-mental-health-than-australians-overall-we-could-be-serving-them-better-119525">The Conversation.</a> </em></p>

Retirement Life

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How does poor air quality from bushfire smoke affect our health?

<p>New South Wales and Queensland are in the grip of a devastating bushfire emergency, which has tragically resulted in the loss of homes and lives.</p> <p>But the smoke produced can affect many more people not immediately impacted by the fires – even people many kilometres from the fire. The smoke haze blanketing parts of NSW and Queensland has seen air quality indicators exceed national standards over recent days.</p> <p>Studies have shown <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140673613621583?via%3Dihub">there is no safe level of air pollution</a>, and as pollution levels increase, so too do the health risks. Air pollution caused <a href="https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(17)32345-0/fulltext?code=lancet-site">nine million premature deaths globally</a> in 2015. In many ways, airborne pollution is like cigarette smoking – causing respiratory disease, heart disease and stroke, lung infections, and even lung cancer.</p> <p>However, these are long-term studies looking at what happens over a person’s life with prolonged exposure to air pollution. With bushfire-related air pollution, air quality is reduced for relatively short periods.</p> <p>But it’s still worth exercising caution if you live in an affected area, particularly if you have an existing health condition that might put you at higher risk.</p> <h2>Air quality standards</h2> <p>The exposure levels will vary widely from the site of the fire to 10 or 50 kilometres away from the source.</p> <p>The national standard for clean air in Australia is less than 8 micrograms/m³ of ultrafine particles. This is among the lowest in the world, meaning the Australian government wants us to remain one of the least polluted countries there is.</p> <p>8 micrograms/m³ refers to the weight of the particles in micrograms contained in one cubic meter of air. A typical grain of sand weighs 50 micrograms. When people talk about ultrafine particles the term PM, referring to particulate matter, is often used. The size of PM <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3925716/pdf/viru-4-847.pdf">we worry the most about</a> are the small particles of less than 2.5 micrometres which can penetrate deep into the lungs, called PM2.5.</p> <p>To put this in perspective, Randwick, a coastal suburb in Sydney which was more than 25km from any of the fires yesterday, had PM2.5 readings of around 40 micrograms/m³. Some suburbs which sit more inland had readings of around 50 micrograms/m³. Today, these levels have already reduced to around <a href="https://www.environment.nsw.gov.au/aqms/hourlydata.htm">20 micrograms/m³ across Sydney</a>.</p> <p>We’re seeing a similar effect in Queensland. Today’s PM2.5 readings at Cannon Hill, a suburb close to central Brisbane, are 21.5 micrograms/m³, compared with 4.7 micrograms/m³ one month ago.</p> <p>A number of <a href="https://www.health.qld.gov.au/news-events/health-alerts/bushfire-smoke-health-alert">health alerts</a> were issued for areas across NSW and Queensland earlier this week.</p> <p>While these numbers may seem alarming compared to the 8 microgram/m³ threshold, the recent air pollution in India’s New Delhi caused by crop burning <a href="https://www.sbs.com.au/news/new-delhi-pollution-reaches-unbearable-levels-as-public-health-emergency-declared">reached levels of 900 micrograms/m³</a>. So what we’re experiencing here pales in comparison.</p> <h2>Bushfire smoke and our health</h2> <p>However, this doesn’t mean the levels in NSW and Queensland are without danger. Historically, when there are bushfires, <a href="https://europepmc.org/abstract/pmc/pmc4271508">emergency department presentations</a> for respiratory and heart conditions increase, showing people with these conditions are most at risk of experiencing adverse health effects.</p> <p>Preliminary analysis of emergency department data shows hospitals in the mid-north coast of NSW, where fires were at their worst, have had <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/news/Pages/20191113_00.aspx">68 presentations to emergency departments</a> for asthma or breathing problems over the last week. This is almost double the usual number.</p> <p>One study looked at the association between exposure to smoke events in Sydney and premature deaths, and found there was a 5% increase in mortality during bushfires <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21601845">from 1994 to 2007</a>.</p> <p>But it’s important to understand these deaths would have occurred in the people most vulnerable to the effects of smoke, such as people with pre-exsisiting lung and heart conditions, who tend to be older people.</p> <p>For people who are otherwise healthy, the health risks are much lower.</p> <p>But as the frequency of bushfires increases, many scientists in the field speculate these health effects may become more of a concern across the population.</p> <h2>How to protect yourself</h2> <p>If you’re in an affected area, it’s best to <a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Pages/bushfire-smoke.aspx">avoid smoke exposure</a> where possible by staying indoors with the windows and doors closed and the air conditioner turned on.</p> <p>If you are experiencing any unusual symptoms, such as shortness of breath or chest pain, or just do not feel well, you should speak to your health care professional and in an emergency, go to hospital.</p> <p> </p> <p>Once the fires have been put out, depending upon the region, local weather conditions and the size of the fire, air quality can return to healthy levels within a few days.</p> <p>In extreme situations, it might take weeks or months to return to normal. But we are fortunate to be living in a country with good air quality most of the time.<!-- Below is The Conversation's page counter tag. Please DO NOT REMOVE. --><img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/126835/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /><!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: http://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><em>Written by <span>Brian Oliver, Research Leader in Respiratory cellular and molecular biology at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research and Senior Lecturer, School of Medical &amp; Molecular Biosciences, University of Technology Sydney</span>. Republished with permission of </em><a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/how-does-poor-air-quality-from-bushfire-smoke-affect-our-health-126835" target="_blank"><em>The Conversation</em></a><em>. </em></p>

Body

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“You are the worst!”: Sunrise presenter Sam Armytage snaps at Jetstar for poor service

<p>Sunrise<span> </span>presenter Sam Armytage has launched a scathing attack against budget airline Jetstar for its “rude staff” and extra charges to overweight baggage.</p> <p>The presenter shared the experience on her Instagram, where she explained that she spent $700 for last-minute flights to Queensland for a funeral.</p> <p>Upon her flight home, Armytage was shocked to learn that she was forced to pay an extra charge for overweight baggage travelling home.</p> <p>“@jetstaraustralia you are the worst! Paid $700 for last minute flights to Queensland for a funeral … Then (was) charged $60 extra at gate home for same amount of carry-on as we flew up with yesterday. Go figure?!?!” she wrote angrily to her followers.</p> <p>“Will definitely choose @qantas or @virginaustralia next time. Every time,” she declared.</p> <p>The tirade continued with complaints against the lack of legroom and the “rude staff”.</p> <p>“Not to mention how rude the staff are while they’re charging you extra … Leg-room shot …,” she wrote in a follow-up post.</p> <p>It turns out that Armytage wasn’t alone in her experiences, as many of her followers sent her private messages sharing their issues with Jetstar.</p> <p>“I was 180g over and they charged me $60. I was gutted as I literally took no clothes so I could take my nursing books to study, I even tried to explain to the lady and she didn’t care. Have never flown (with) them again!”</p> <p>“They’re a nightmare – vowed I’d never fly with them again,” another follower said.</p> <p>Despite Armytage promising never to fly with Jetstar again and vowing to fly with Qantas or Virgin, Jetstar is wholly owned by the Qantas Group.</p>

Travel Trouble

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“Very poor taste”: Airline slammed after morbid Twitter gaffe

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">An airline has had to apologise to the public after tweeting a grim statistic as a part of a “Tuesday Trivia” promotion.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The airline tweeted statistics about the likelihood of a passenger dying during a crash based on their seating assignment.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“According to data studies by Time, the fatality rate for the seats in the middle of the plane is the highest.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“However, the fatality rate for the seats in the front is marginally lesser and is least for seats at the rear third of a plane,” the tweet said.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">There was an image of an aircraft seat accompanying the tweet as well as the message:  “Seats at the back of a plane are the safest!”.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Many twitter users responded in droves, saying that the tweet was inappropriate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">KLM India removed the tweet and replaced it with an apology.</span></p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">We would like to sincerely apologise for a recent update. The post was based on a publically available aviation fact, and isn't a <a href="https://twitter.com/KLM?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@KLM</a> opinion. It was never our intention to hurt anyone's sentiments. The post has since been deleted.</p> — KLM India (@KLMIndia) <a href="https://twitter.com/KLMIndia/status/1151574115049803777?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 17, 2019</a></blockquote> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, for some Twitter users, the damage was done.  </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“If I’m gonna die it’s going to be in first class,” one person commented.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Frankly, I’m glad to know the seats in the back of the plane are the safest,” another added.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Besides the tweet which was in very poor taste, your statement also wasn’t a fact because there’s just not enough data (thankfully) to make that assertion,” one person wrote.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">One user pointed out the morbid timing of the tweet.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Not the best tweet on the fifth anniversary of crash of #MH17,” a user wrote.</span></p>

Travel Trouble

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"I am not going to sit here and cry poor": Sam Armytage on what it's like to work on TV

<p>Sam Armytage has opened up about her experience working in the media and being a public figure, sharing that it is “not easy” to be a female role model in the “tough industry”.</p> <p>In a recent interview with<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.whimn.com.au/talk/people/i-didnt-enjoy-the-start-of-the-sunrise-job/news-story/e81260c5a89b44dd7b9adb5a5a2c45d1" target="_blank"><em>whimn</em></a>, the 42-year-old said she has strived to maintain her femininity while working in newsrooms throughout her career.</p> <p>Armytage began her media career at WIN-TV Canberra in 1999 as a news reporter. She later worked at Sky News before joining the Seven Network in 2003.</p> <p>“I fiercely maintain my femininity because newsrooms are very masculine places even in this current era,” she said.</p> <p>“I’ve found this throughout my 20-year career – you move into your masculinity to cope in a newsroom. You swear a lot and drink a lot. You’re on the front foot, it’s agro behaviour and you get exhausted by it.</p> <p>“…this job, this career – I couldn’t quite work out how I’d fallen into this – it’s a tough industry. People are now looking at me as a female role model and that’s not an easy responsibility to shoulder at times.”</p> <p>But Armytage said her current role at<span> </span>Sunrise<span> </span>provided her more space to be herself.</p> <p>“This<span> </span>Sunrise<span> </span>role has been so fabulous, despite some of the crap I’ve had to go through, because I get to be vulnerable and ram-up against [co-host David] Kochie’s masculinity.”</p> <p>However, the popularity that came with her morning show gig has also brought about unwanted attention. Armytage said she is still dealing with paparazzi every day.</p> <p>She recalled a recent incident where a photographer followed her into a Woolworths store. “I’d been to the gym and I was not looking glamorous – they’re the shots they want,” she said.</p> <p>“I get that, and I am not going to sit here and cry poor. So, I just confronted him and said, ‘Come on, I put up with a lot from you guys. It’s getting creepy now.’</p> <p>“He got angry with me in Woolies! He said, ‘You’re being nasty.’ And I said, ‘You’re following me around all day!’”</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BthdNyKHm3A/" data-instgrm-version="12"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BthdNyKHm3A/" target="_blank">A creepy paparazzi followed me (post-gym) INTO Woollies this morning to get (no doubt mostly unflattering) mundane photos of me doing my groceries. So just to make sure they’re worth NOTHING (to those dreadful Woman’s Day/Daily Mail types) here’s some free, mundane pics of me &amp; my shopping. Oh &amp; I threw in action shots of me stuck in Sydney traffic &amp; (the best bit from the shopping bags) a pig’s ear for Banjo. Don’t say I never do anything for you.. As you were...x 😂😩🙋🏼‍♀️🤷‍♀️🛒</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by <a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/sam_armytage/" target="_blank"> Samantha Armytage ⭐️</a> (@sam_armytage) on Feb 5, 2019 at 5:59pm PST</p> </div> </blockquote> <p>After years of public scrutiny, Armytage said she has learned to cope by shifting her perspective. “I don’t read those magazines, websites, papers and I certainly don’t read the comments,” she said.</p> <p>“I’ve had to think, OK, that’s the public person, that’s not the Sam who’s in the country on weekends, lying on the grass having a glass of wine with her friends playing with her dog.”</p>

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