Money worries can drain your mind as much as losing a night's sleep
A famous study of Indian sugarcane farmers found they thought more clearly after harvest than before it, when money was tight.
Here is a finding from India that changed how psychologists think about stress. Researchers studied sugarcane farmers in Tamil Nadu, who are paid once a year at harvest. Before harvest, many are short of money, have pawned things and taken loans. After harvest, they have cash in hand.
The same farmers were given reasoning and attention tests before and after harvest. After harvest, they scored markedly better. Nothing else about them had changed: same people, same intelligence, same village. What had changed was the weight of money worries on their minds.
In a related experiment in the United States, simply asking people to think about a difficult financial situation, such as an expensive car repair, lowered the scores of those who were short of money by an amount the researchers compared to losing a full night's sleep, or about 13 IQ points.
The point is not that people with less money think less well. It is that worry takes up mental space. When a large part of your mind is busy with the rent, the EMI or the school fees, there is less left for everything else, including decisions about health.
What helps - Write money problems down and make a plan, however small. A plan eases the load more than the problem itself suggests. - Make important decisions, including health ones, at a calmer moment if you can. - Talk to someone. Financial stress is one of the biggest drivers of anxiety and depression, and it is nothing to be ashamed of. - If money is stopping you from getting care, tell us. Your health manager can help find the most affordable route.
Where this comes from - Mani A, Mullainathan S, Shafir E, Zhao J. Poverty Impedes Cognitive Function. Science, 2013.
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