How childhood poverty affects our lives and what we can do about it
Miscellaneous / / October 19, 2023
This changes our worldview, but does not necessarily determine future success.
Recently went viral on Twitter fast, in which the girl wrote: “Children who grew up in a family with above-average income have a really different perception of reality (cry from the soul).” And social network users shared their stories from childhood. For example, some were surprised that a friend could simply throw away food he didn’t like. Why don’t you worry about a broken gadget, because they won’t kill you at home, they’ll just buy a new one. That going to a cafe is not a holiday, but an ordinary event. Or that for different people the phrase “no money” does not mean the same thing: for some it is the inability to buy expensive thing right now, and for another - to pay for a bus ticket, because it’s literally in your wallet empty.
These are not two worlds, these are different experiences. Because poverty in childhood really affects a person's well-being as an adult. But at the same time, it is important to understand that “non-poverty” is not a house on Rublyovka and a personal helicopter. This is food security, that is, the ability to ensure
varied diet without the fear that tomorrow the refrigerator will be empty, access to educational and medical services and a generally calm atmosphere in the family without constant stress due to lack of money.What is the impact of childhood poverty?
Compared to those who grew up wealthy, people from disadvantaged families differ in several characteristics.
Lower self-control and trust in the world
In the 60–70s of the last century the famous marshmallow experiment involving children from four to six years old. The child was seated in a room, a marshmallow (or other treat) was placed in front of him and he was asked to choose: eat the sweetness now or wait 15 minutes and get twice as much. During the experiment, the researcher left the room, and the children remained with temptation one on one. Someone was waiting for an adult, and someone was eating their marshmallows.
Decades later, scientists checked how the lives of these children turned out. It turned out that those who chose two marshmallows after 15 minutes showed greater success. They have were higher scores on tests upon admission to universities, the participants adapted better to society and were slimmer in terms of body mass index. And those who could not hold out for a quarter of an hour, even in adulthood demonstrated less self-control, which caused them to experience more stress.
The results were associated with the personal characteristics of the participants. Scientists have concluded that those who demonstrate self-control tend to achieve greater success. But when critics of the experiment dug deeper, it turned out that the problem was not personal, but institutional. Those who waited until the second marshmallow and showed better results at certain stages grew up in more prosperous families in terms of income and status. That is, these children had access to better educational institutions, more stimulating environment, more books at home and so on. And self-control in itself was not such a significant factor that made it possible to bypass economic and social ones.
But it worked the other way around: self-control was easier to demonstrate those who grew up in more prosperous conditions, because these children had higher trust in the world. It’s easier to wait when you are sure that, firstly, they will give you a second marshmallow, and secondly, this is not the last candy in your life, so it’s not a big loss.
And trust in the world is important. That's it It allows us to not to be afraid when we start something, to decide on significant things, and so on. For example, someone moves to another city, knowing that he will find work, housing, friends there and have a great life. And someone is sincerely sure that they will deceive him, take away what little he has, and in general no one is waiting for him there. The first ones simply decide to make changes, because in general their entire experience suggests so. The latter are also based on their past, and it prevents them from starting to act.
However, there is some good news. Later studies showthat after 40 years the life of the experiment participants was approximately the same. There were no significant differences between them. However, from the intermediate conclusions it is clear that those who chose two marshmallows it was easier.
Greater feelings of helplessness
Childhood poverty shapes feeling of inability to protect, provide for, or take care of oneself.
Those who grew up without income are more likely to refuse to complete difficult tasks. For example, in one experiment participants were asked to solve a puzzle. People from poor families gave up 8% faster.
Lower self-esteem and life satisfaction
Adults' life satisfaction directly related with prosperity, regardless of childhood wealth. However, for those who grew up in a poor family, this figure is lower on average.
They also have lower self-esteem, which, according to researchers, may be due to the stigmatization of insolvent families in society, but not only. To believe in your strengths and capabilities, you need experience of success in the past. And brag about them children of the poor parents could less often.
Poor physical and mental health
You can often come across arguments that a child doesn’t care about prosperity, he just needs to be loved. But it is not so. Poverty begins to affect him even more before he was born, because the pregnant mother feels it. Chronic stress can lead to changes in a child's brain development. Subsequently, this sometimes results in anxiety, aggression, hyperactivity and a tendency to depression. Moreover, if the family’s financial condition does not improve, the problems will worsen.
MRI data shows that children who grow up in poverty have an average cerebral cortex area of 6% less. This section is responsible for cognitive abilities. Children from poor families may have Problems with concentration, memorization, reading. True, scientists here do not fully understand what this is connected with. Because, as in the case of the marshmallow experiment, this may be caused by less access to education and a less calm, supportive family environment.
What should an adult who grew up in a poor family do?
The advice to try to be born into a rich family is clearly too late. Therefore, to begin with, it is worth remembering that the material condition in childhood influences later life, but does not determine it. Otherwise there wouldn't be so many success stories about people made their way to the tops from the bottoms.
Poverty is stressful injury. But we are all made up of traumas and past experiences. What matters is how we deal with them. Some may not feel any consequences. Some will feel helpless or experience low self-esteem. We don't have a time machine to go back to childhood and throw money at ourselves. But there are tools to identify weaknesses and work on them. Ideally with a psychologist, because our problems are not always visible to us.
The life of a person from any family will turn out better if he learns to take responsibility for himself, celebrate his achievements and be proud of them, work with attitudes and begin to make decisions.
You can start with these articles💪🧠👀
- What is the danger of inadequate self-esteem and how to recognize it
- “My woe!”: how negative attitudes harm us and what can be done about them
- How to take responsibility for your life
- 7 ways to learn to make decisions
- What attitudes prevent you from becoming rich and successful - says psychologist