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The Blurb On The Back:
Why is the incidence of mental illness in the UK twice that in Germany? Why are Americans three times more likely than the Dutch to develop gambling problems? Why is child well-being so much worse in New Zealand than in Japan? As this groundbreaking study demonstrates, the answer is inequality.
In The Spirit Level Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett put inequality at the centre of public debate by demonstrating that less equal societies fare worse than more equal ones across everything from education to life expectancy. The Inner Level now explains how inequality affects us individually, how it alters we think, feel and behave. It sets out the overwhelming evidence that material inequalities have powerful psychological effects: low social status is shown to be empirically linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Wilkinson and Pickett describe how these responses to hierarchies evolved, and why the impacts of inequality on us are so severe. In doing so, they challenge the conception that humans are innately competitive and self-interested. They undermine, too, the idea that inequality is the product of ‘natural’ differences in individual ability. The Inner Level draws together many urgent problems facing societies today, but it is not just an index of our ills. It demonstrates that societies based on fundamental equalities generate much higher levels of well-being, and lays out the path towards them.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Richard Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus at Nottingham University’s Medical School and Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology at York University. This book looks at how material inequalities within societies adversely affects mental and emotional health, but while it raises interesting questions, I wasn’t wholly convinced by the methodology and you need to read their previous book THE SPIRIT LEVEL to get the most from the arguments here.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
Why is the incidence of mental illness in the UK twice that in Germany? Why are Americans three times more likely than the Dutch to develop gambling problems? Why is child well-being so much worse in New Zealand than in Japan? As this groundbreaking study demonstrates, the answer is inequality.
In The Spirit Level Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett put inequality at the centre of public debate by demonstrating that less equal societies fare worse than more equal ones across everything from education to life expectancy. The Inner Level now explains how inequality affects us individually, how it alters we think, feel and behave. It sets out the overwhelming evidence that material inequalities have powerful psychological effects: low social status is shown to be empirically linked to increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression and schizophrenia.
Wilkinson and Pickett describe how these responses to hierarchies evolved, and why the impacts of inequality on us are so severe. In doing so, they challenge the conception that humans are innately competitive and self-interested. They undermine, too, the idea that inequality is the product of ‘natural’ differences in individual ability. The Inner Level draws together many urgent problems facing societies today, but it is not just an index of our ills. It demonstrates that societies based on fundamental equalities generate much higher levels of well-being, and lays out the path towards them.
( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )
The Verdict:
Richard Wilkinson is Professor Emeritus at Nottingham University’s Medical School and Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology at York University. This book looks at how material inequalities within societies adversely affects mental and emotional health, but while it raises interesting questions, I wasn’t wholly convinced by the methodology and you need to read their previous book THE SPIRIT LEVEL to get the most from the arguments here.
Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.
