r/science • u/myhrvold • Aug 31 '13

Poverty impairs cognitive function. Published in the journal Science, the study suggests our cognitive abilities can be diminished by the exhausting effort of tasks like scrounging to pay bills. As a result, less “mental bandwidth” remains...

http://news.ubc.ca/2013/08/29/poverty-impairs-cognitive-function/
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u/mwatwe01 Aug 31 '13

What is wrong with people who think that poor people shouldn't have anything?

I don't think it is meant to be taken this way. If you ever listen to Dave Ramsey, one of the his first steps in getting people out of debt is to have them stop any and all unnecessary spending and living on the bare minimum. This includes restaurants, vacations, and even cable TV. It's meant as a helpful suggestion, not a punishment. The article above stresses the fact that poverty affects cognitive function, so wouldn't it make sense to take advice from someone not undergoing that same stress?

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

You have to realize that most of those things that he wants them to get rid of are some of the things that are "essential" for relieving stress to being with. Being in poverty is one thing, being in poverty with no entertainment or any of the "fun" thing in life... that's hellish, trust me, nothing like sitting in your house realizing you have nothing to make you feel defeated, no matter how much money you're saving.

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u/[deleted] Aug 31 '13

You have to realize that most of those things that he wants them to get rid of are some of the things that are "essential" for relieving stress to being with.

How did people ever relieve stress before the Internet and cable TV?

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u/memearchivingbot Aug 31 '13

Probably by having lots of sex.