Psycho-Social Factors of Stress

Our body does not only suffer chronic stress due to pollutants. Psychosocial factors also play a part in our long-term health. The psychosocial relationship to health is a widely investigated field. We refer to two areas of investigation relevant to our work.

Robert Sapolsky

As a neuroendocrinologist, Robert Sapolsky has focused his research on issues of stress and neuronal degeneration. Sapolsky’s work looks into factors such as non-life-threatening stressors, such as constantly worrying about money or pleasing your boss, and how they trigger the release of adrenalin and other stress hormones, which, over time, can have devastating consequences to your health; "If you turn on the stress response chronically for purely psychological reasons, you increase your risk of adult onset diabetes and high blood pressure. If you're chronically shutting down the digestive system, there's a bunch of gastrointestinal disorders you're more at risk for as well."

The Weathering Hypothesis

The weathering hypothesis was proposed by Dr. Arline Geronimus to account for early health deterioration as a result of cumulative exposure to experiences of social, economic and political adversity. It is well documented that minority groups and marginalized communities suffer from poorer health outcomes. This may be due to a multitude of stressors including prejudice, social alienation, institutional bias, political oppression, economic exclusion and racial discrimination. The weathering hypothesis proposes that the cumulative burden of these stressors as individuals age is "weathering," and the increased weathering experienced by minority groups compared to others can account for differences in health outcomes.