The Roy Howard Community Journalism Center’s “What Is True?” team investigated a claim that chronic stress affects executive functioning, memory, concentration and emotional well-being in people experiencing poverty.
RESULTS: True
This claim came from a letter Haven Abercrombie, a Jackson County mother, sent to the RHCJC. Abercrombie wrote about the struggles people living in poverty face in finding steady employment, affordable child care and social resources. To learn what experts say about her claims, read the full fact-check below.
Abercrombie also described the psychological burden of living with persistent financial hardship.
“Living under that kind of pressure impacts people mentally, emotionally, physically and financially,” Abercrombie wrote. “Many parents continue carrying all of it while still getting up every day and showing up for their children.”
Researchers in neuroscience, psychology and behavioral economics have found that chronic stress associated with financial hardship can negatively affect both mental and physical health.
A 2011 review published in Neurobiology of Learning and Memory found that chronic stress increases vulnerability to mental illness and impairs cognitive function.
A widely cited 2013 study published in Science by researchers from Princeton University, Harvard University and the University of Warwick found that financial scarcity temporarily reduced participants’ performance on cognitive tests by an amount roughly equivalent to a 13-point difference in IQ. The researchers compared the effect with the cognitive impact of losing an entire night’s sleep.
A 2024 peer-reviewed study published in Neurobiology of Stress found that chronic stress impairs cognitive flexibility, working memory and behavioral inhibition — all key components of executive functioning.
The American Psychological Association’s Monitor on Psychology summarized research by psychologist Eldar Shafir describing a “bandwidth tax,” in which constant financial concerns consume mental resources that would otherwise be available for planning, decision-making and solving complex problems.
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau data, 13.8% of Jackson County residentslive below the poverty line, compared with 12.5% nationwide. Given Jackson County’s poverty rate, many local residents likely experience the kinds of chronic financial stress examined in these studies.
This fact-check is the first in an ongoing series examining claims, misconceptions and challenges surrounding poverty.
About “What Is True?”
The RHCJC “What Is True?” team investigates claims ranging from viral social media posts to local community rumors. If you have a question you’d like investigated, submit it through the “What Is True?” inquiry form on the RHCJC website or call 855-IS-IT-TRU (855-474-8878).