Economics affects health but not always as you might think

Iceland has, of course, been in the spotlight of late.  First of all for the UK banking crisis and now of course for a very angry volcano.

Here is another interesting fact about Iceland:

Norway and Iceland - score first and third in the  "best places in the world to live" ratings. 


I have to say I've never met any Icelanders but have met a number of Scandinavians and they've all said they wouldn't want to live anywhere else.  For good reason it seems. They may complain about high taxation but their social policies are fantastic.

This article in The Independent investigates "The Real Reason Why Swedes Live Longer" and it's fascinating stuff.  It goes on to say:

 "In countries where there is a big earnings gap between rich and poor, life expectancy is lower while mental illness, obesity and drug and alcohol abuse are all more common.


The real surprise is that it’s not only the poor who suffer. The population as a whole do less well if the gap is wider. The nations with the smallest wealth gap and the lowest incidence of health and social problems are the Japanese and the Scandinavians. The countries with, respectively, the greatest and highest are America, Portugal and Britain.

The biological explanation for this is uncertain, but possibly mediated by the hormonal effects of perpetual anxiety about status and position, or loss of them. Economics affects health but not always as you might expect."

I've always wondered why those in the most privileged societies seem to be the unhappiest overall.  This makes perfect sense.

Photos thanks to Flickr - CCL - elephi pelephi