The Mental Cost Of Poverty: How Being Poor Leads To Poor Decisions Does being poor lead to poor decisions? That’s the question at the heart of much of the work of University of Chicago’s Anuj Shah for the past five … Continue reading The cognitive fatigue of being poor
Planning the Weekend Can Improve Youth Safety PROJECT SUMMARY. A group of low-income, at-risk youth in Cape Town’s metropolitan townships used the Safety Tool, a scalable computer or mobile-based application, to help them choose safe weekend evening activities. IMPACT. Users … Continue reading Unsafe weekends
Poverty and the Developing Brain People love “Rags to Riches” stories—those sanguine tales in which someone who grew up in poverty manages to become extremely wealthy and professionally successful. These stories breathe life into the American Dream, inspire hope, and … Continue reading Does poverty shrink hippocampus?
How Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on Junk Food Children’s squeals rang through the muggy morning air as a woman pushed a gleaming white cart along pitted, trash-strewn streets. She was making deliveries to some of the poorest households in … Continue reading Irresistible foods, fatty diets
Who Do We Think Of as Poor? Several years ago, during a harsh Detroit winter, I swallowed my pride and applied for food stamps. I wasn’t sure I’d qualify, but I knew three things. I had little money in the … Continue reading Is poverty a white issue?
How Poverty Changes the Brain You saw the pictures in science class—a profile view of the human brain, sectioned by function. The piece at the very front, right behind where a forehead would be if the brain were actually in … Continue reading The limbic system’s fears
How to Trick People Into Saving Money Late last summer, Dawn Paquin started keeping her money on a prepaid debit card from Walmart instead of in a traditional checking account. The wages from her factory job—she works from 9 p.m. … Continue reading Alluring for poor people
