It seems that poverty and the endless ills that accompany being poor are passed from generation to generation. The Economist reports on research that further confirms the brain science behind apparently inherited lack of resourcefulness. The bottom line is that growing up in resource deprived circumstances creates persistent stressors. Stress provokes natural physiochemical responses that, if ongoing, lead to reduced capacity to remember, and hence to learn. Degraded learning capacity leads to less resourceful adults who tend to become stuck in the socioeconomic stratum in which they grew up.
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