Income and Aging

 

Does income heavily rely on who someone is or becomes? Does it contribute on how we define ourselves within our society, community, or ourselves? Does it affect how we look physically or our health? According to American Psychological Association, socioeconomics affects human functioning which includes physical and mental health (“American Psychological Association,” 2003). Socioeconomic defined to as, “social class that reflects people’s position in the educational and occupational ranks of a society” (Whitbourne, 2014). In our society today, people are judged based on appearance, education, and income level. Having a good source of income is looked highly upon. Financial stability is important in living a comfortable life through physical appearance and our heath.

When someone is not worried about how much money is coming in every week, they are less likely to have worries that may lead to stress and depression. Financial income is one of the main sources of anxiety (“Live and Workwell.” 2014). Having anxiety and stress can constantly lead to an unhealthier lifestyle. It has a negative effect on the aging process physically. Ways in which the body will be affected is high blood pressure, increase of heart attack and stroke, weakening of the immune system and it ultimately speeds up the aging process (Smith, 2014). People who are worried about where their next meal will come from or who worry about if the electricity will remain on, are more prone to the consequences of an unhealthy body. Money does influence our well-being. So it is safe to say thus far that income level affects the aging process and how our body handles it? Yes. 

Some may ask how exactly income affects the outward appearance of aging. When someone is constantly worried, they enable chemicals in their body that slows down the immune system. When the immune system is weakened, the body is working extra hard on keeping it as strong as it can. This process takes a toll on the body which can lead to fatigue. Someone who is fatigue may have bags under their eyes, dark circles, and paler skin. These minor attributes can add years on an adult’s appearance allowing for aging to become more prevalent.

Some may ask does income level only affect the process of aging in a negative way. According to psychologist Daniel Kahneman, happiness doesn’t increase after a certain level of income of $75,000 (Poppick, 2014). This doesn’t exclude the fact ultimately that money does not make you happy. There is a certain degree in which money does technically make someone “happy”. While money isn’t the cause of happiness, there is an extent in which people are in a happier state of mind when it is not an issue. When someone is happy, stress is not as common. People are more reluctant to letting things bothering them because they feel that they are able to overcome anything with the joy they are experiencing. People who are happy tend to glow, exercise more frequently, and practice healthier habits. These factors lead to better outward appearances. Eating healthier attributes to a stronger immune system. When someone intakes vitamins into their body and tries to better themselves internally, it shows through their outward appearance. Exercising also leads to a healthier physical exterior. It is scientifically proven that chemicals in the body called endorphins are released when one exercises. These endorphins make someone feel happy when released. All these attributes happen when someone is happy and when they do not have to worry about things like how much money they are making. So is it safe to say that a better income correlates to overall happiness and better aging results? Yes.

My friend, when he was younger was homeless. The reason being is his mom was simply not making enough. Income inequality played its role because she had no education, barley spoke English, and felt like she had little skills to offer. The employers at her job paid her the absolute minimum that they had to. She could not keep up with the bills and it eventually led to being out on the streets. I asked him if he remembers any physical or health changes within his mother. He answered yes. Since she was always outside asking for money, she always had a sore throat along with a cough and runny nose. He also felt that his mother acted different. She looked like she never slept which added 10 years to her age. She seemed crabbier but he minimally understood his mother’s behavior and physical change. The reason I decided to add this story is to simply show proof of how income inequality affects the aging process. Although this anecdotal data, it shows that this does affect people. Income inequality can dictate how some one’s life is laid out. Fortunately, his mom was able to get off the streets and they now are able to live somewhat comfortably but they both remember the stressful journey that lack of income took on them.

Not only is physical aging correlated with income value but so is aging in numbers. The moment ones starts working, some of their paycheck is withheld to go into their social security. The point of working and having that money set aside is retirement. The set age for retirement is usually 65 years. Despite that being the average age for most people, most people over the age of 60 are economically insecure (National Council of Aging, 2014). Income level affects the elderly simply because their work and income level they made their whole life is a determinant of how much money they will get once they are older. A way in which income level affects aging is simply the amount of money the elderly receive once they get their social security. As the elderly, there are more factors to consider financially. There are probably going to be higher medical bills since they are more prone to illness, injury, and disabilities. According to the National Council of Aging, one third of senior citizens are in debt each month with majority of them only receiving about $423 a month (National Council of Aging, 2014). The fact that some of the elderly is struggling with money only weighs on to the stress in their old age. Most are a target for financial fraud simply because of their age. It is important to understand is with age there is room for financial stress.

Money in general is an emotional subject for people. People become sensitive when talking about money whether it is positive or negative. Ironically, aging is sensitive to people as well. The older we get, the more “embarrassing” it is to talk about our age. It is something that society has shaped us into. People have correlated money happiness as well as looking the best you can look with happiness. It is important to understand that both are affective to each to each other but solely based on the importance and value that allows it to attain. Income inequality and aging are highly correlated with each other.

In conclusion, every person deals with some type of inequality. As we get older, we all may feel that we may have experienced some type of income inequality. The point of this was to express how income inequality affects aging based on physical appearance, health, and actual age. Money is what defines us as a society and is the standard definition of how much power someone has. Knowing the side effects of income inequality is important because there are many people that deal with this problem. They are struggling and it is affecting the aging process. When dealing with health and our bodies, it is important to know what causes these symptoms. Income affects our overall well- being and knowing the correlation between the two are important to understand.

Bibliography

National Council of Aging . (n.d.). Economic Security for Seniors . Retrieved November 14, 2014, from National Council of Aging : http://www.ncoa.org/press-room/fact-sheets/economic-security-for.html

Poppick, S. (2014, June 9). The Money Happiness Connection. Retrieved November 14, 2014, from Money : http://time.com/money/2802147/does-money-buy-happiness/

Smith, M. (2014, November). Stress Symptoms Signs and Causes. Retrieved Novemeber 14, 2014, from Help Guide: http://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/stress-symptoms-causes-and-effects.htm

American Psychological Association. (2003). Fact sheet: Facts about depression in older adults. Washington, DC: American Psychological