The health consequences of hierarchy
bicoastal March 5th, 2007
“Low rank induces misery. The physiological routes have been followed in several studies of primates in the wild. Serotonin is a brain chemical which is associated with positive well-being. Among vervet monkeys, dominant males have much higher levels of serotonin than subordinate ones, and this is an effect, not a cause of high rank. These findings were replicated in (admittedly limited) studies in humans. Another study has shown that in rhesus macaques, the furring of coronary arteries (’atherosclerosis’–the main cause of heart attacks) is inversely related to social rank. A study of baboons in the wild has found that all the biological stress markers follow the social hierarchy, rather like British civil servants. This provides a physiological basis for a type of behaviour observed in both animals and humans, the phenomenon of ‘Learned Helplessness’: the experience of being boxed in a corner, and faced with intractable dilemmas or choices with no obvious escape. Numerous studies in both animals and humans show a consistent set of responses: depressed mood, loss of interest, loss of appetite, insomnia, slow thoughts, loss of energy, feelings of worthlessness and guilt, diminished ability to think, and poor concentration.”
–Avner Offer, The Challenge of Affluence (2006) (citations omitted)
