The assumption is that stress during severe economic downturns has negative consequences for a population’s health. But a new University of Michigan study challenges that belief.
Although it sounds counterintuitive, life expectancy actually showed a major increase during the Great Depression, according to the study published in the September 28 issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
It jumped from 57.1 in 1929 to 63.3 years in 1932, according to researchers José A. Tapia Granados and Ana Diez Roux. And although overall life expectancy rose from 1929 to 1940, it curiously took a small dip during the brief Depression-era expansion from 1936 to 1937.
Tapia Granados and Diez Roux examined mortality rates for heart and kidney diseases, cancer, flu, pneumonia, tuberculosis, car accidents and suicides. They found an association between improved health and recessions for every major cause of death – except suicide.
So, even as income slipped away and dark clouds gathered ominously on the economic horizon, many people pushed on – and even thrived under tough conditions.
Why in the world would recessions make people healthier? Tapia Granados speculates: “Working conditions are very different during expansions and recessions. During expansions, firms are very busy, and they typically demand a lot of effort from employees, who are required to work a lot of overtime, and to work at a fast pace. This can create stress, which is associated with more drinking and smoking.
“Also, new workers may be hired who are inexperienced, so injuries are likely to be more common. And people who are working a lot may also sleep less, which is known to have implications for health. Other health-related behaviors such as diet may also change for the worse during expansions.”
Interesting stuff, and I would add my own bit of speculation. In the 1930s, when we had a more extensive manufacturing base, critical on-the-job injuries were surely more prevalent than they are now. Because not only have we shifted to a service-based economy (or, I would argue, a debt-based economy), we’ve improved safety standards for the most dangerous jobs.
Environmental conditions that affect long-term health have improved in the workplace. So I’m not sure we would see the same health benefits this time around.
Also, I think it says a lot that only one cause of death remained unfazed: suicide. Those dark recessionary clouds may have a silver lining. But unfortunately for many people, they’re just plain clouds.
Photo credit: On Relief in 1932, Seattle Municipal Archives
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