A timely examination by a leading scientist of the physical, psychological, and moral effects of inequality.

A social scientist examines the physical, psychological, and moral effects of inequality. In the twenty-first century. inequality is on a scale that none of us has seen in our lifetimes, yet this disparity between rich and poor has ramifications that extend far beyond mere financial means. While conservatives look at poverty and see its roots in personal failures and liberals attribute it to a lack of opportunity, what both sides miss is that the psychology of inequality causes both poor opportunities and personal failures. Understanding how and why this occurs is our best chance at addressing it effectively. This book examines for how inequality influences us as individuals, affecting our brains, our bodies, and our values. Inequality divides us not just economically, but has profound consequences on how we think, how our cardiovascular systems respond to stress, how our immune systems function, and how we view moral ideas like justice and fairness. Experiments in psychology, neurosci