How Poverty Changes The Brain

The article starts off with a very short but comprehensive explanation about some parts of the brain, what they’re responsible for—in terms of problem-solving, goal-setting, emotional responses—and the interaction between these parts.

Science suggests that when people live in poverty, the limbic system in charge of emotional responses is constantly sending fear messages to the prefrontal cortex—where problems are solved, goals are set, and tasks are fulfilled—causing it to overload and not be able to perform. 

“The science is clear—when brain capacity is used up on these worries and fears, there simply isn’t as much bandwidth for other things.” 

So, when they live in poverty, people get into a vicious circle where they are sometimes not able to manage the issues of daily life, like caring for themselves or their kids, let alone get rich.

Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath), a non-profit organization, is using these discoveries about the brain to develop ways of helping families escape poverty. Given that, on the one hand those parts of the brain mentioned above are plastic, hence changeable, and that, on the other hand, poverty is passed on through generations, EMPath focuses on working with children, adults, and families as a whole. They help them break down the day-to-day tasks into manageable goals. As the CEO of the organization puts it, they help poor people take small steps towards accomplishing something, because that “establishes a sense of control over their own lives. All of these things reduce stress, freeing up more mental bandwidth for further positive steps”.