For this episode, I spoke with Dr. Michael Kraus about the widening gap between the richest and the poorest in our society (aka rising economic inequality). We discussed how social class shapes every domain of our lives and how class segregation creates distinct cultural patterns and norms. Dr. Kraus also emphasized how quickly and acurately people can perceive social class, the psychological mechanisms that perpetuate inequality, and the profound ways economic inequality affects our social interactions and well-being on a daily basis.

Dr. Michael Kraus is a Professor of Psychology at Northwestern University and Morton O. Schapiro Faculty Fellow at the Institute for Policy Research. Dr. Kraus is a social psychologist who studies how inequality fundamentally shapes the dynamics of human social interactions. Much of his research focuses on the behavioral and emotional states that maintain and perpetuate economic and racial inequality in society. His research is consistently published in top journals and has been highlighted by numerous media outlets including ABC World News, National Public Radio, and the Wall Street Journal.

Topics Discussed:

• Social Rank
• Social Hierarchies
• Social Class
• Relative Rank
• Socioeconomic (SES) Status
• Societal Health
• Economic Inequality
• Power/Agency
• Social Mobility
• Perception/Status Signals

Papers and Resources Discussed:

• Tan, J. J. X., Kraus, M. W., Carpenter, N. C., & Adler, N. E. (2020). The association between objective and subjective socioeconomic status and subjective well-being: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 146(11), 970–1020.
• Kraus, M. W., Adler, N., & Chen, T. W. (2013). Is the association of subjective SES and self-rated health confounded by negative mood? An experimental approach. Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association, 32(2), 138–145.
• Pew Research Center on Global Economic Inequality
• Kraus, M. W., Piff, P. K., & Keltner, D. (2011). Social Class as Culture: The Convergence of Resources and Rank in the Social Realm. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 20(4), 246–250.
• Kraus, M. W., Park, J. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2017). Signs of Social Class: The Experience of Economic Inequality in Everyday Life. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 12(3), 422–435.
• Kraus, M. W., & Tan, J. J. X. (2015). Americans overestimate social class mobility. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 58, 101–111.
• Carey, R. M., & Markus, H. R. (2017). Social class shapes the form and function of relationships and selves. Current Opinion in Psychology, 18, 123–130.
• Markus, H. R. (2017). In This Together: Doing and Undoing Inequality and Social Class Divides. Journal of Social Issues, 73(1), 211–221.
• Becker, J. C., Kraus, M. W., & Rheinschmidt-Same, M. (2017). Cultural Expressions of Social Class and Their Implications for Group-Related Beliefs and Behaviors. Journal of Social Issues, 73(1), 158–174.
• Work of Nancy Adler
• Work of Frantz Fanon
• Work of Jim Sidanius
• Stress Puzzle episode on Sir Michael Marmot's contributions

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The Stress Puzzle is hosted by Dr. Ryan L. Brown (https://www.ryanlinnbrown.com/) and supported by the UCSF Stress Measurement Network, an NIH/NIA funded network which aims to better understand the relationship between stress and health by improving the measurement of stress in research studies. Learn more about available resources to support stress research at: www.stressmeasurement.org.

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