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　　Rich People Even Have Better Stress Than Poor

　　For VOA Learning English, this is the Health andLifestyle report.

　　The lives of rich people seem to be getting betterand better. Rich people generally have better homesthan poor people. They usually have better jobs andbetter schools for their children, too.

　　Now, a new study finds that the rich may even have better stress than poor people.

　　Stress is the way the brain reacts to any kind of demand or threat. The American PsychologicalAssociation says it is part of our body's fight-or-flight response.

　　When faced with danger, stress can create energy to fight off an attacker. It makes the bodyrelease hormones that increase our heart rate and blood pressure.

　　That is the stress of ancient times. In modern times, stress can help you give a greatpresentation at work or win a sporting event. This is short-term stress that leads to successin accomplishing a goal.

　　This is a good kind of stress. And it is the stress that most rich people have.

　　But many problems with life or work can cause stress. Stressors are the bills that you can'tpay; the childcare that falls through at the last minute; or the car that won't start.

　　These stressors add to what experts call chronic stress. According to a new survey, this isthe stress facing many poor people in the United States. The Brookings Institution, a publicpolicy group, reported the finding.

　　The APA website notes that chronic stress can affect a person's mental and physical health.When people deal with these chronic stressors every day, their fight-or-flight response isstuck in the "on" position.

　　And chronic stress is poor people stress.

　　Poor people often experience stressful conditions beyond their control. If one thing goeswrong in their day – like a flat tire or picking up a sick child from school – their lives can spiralout of control. This can create a huge amount of chronic stress.

　　For some people, there is often no light at the end of tunnel. The day-to-day stress never letsup. And it is wears down the body. It harms the natural defenses against disease, putspressure on the heart, makes muscles tired and can cause depression.

　　Besides causing physical issues, chronic day-to-day stress can lead to other problems.

　　It is difficult to plan for tomorrow when you can barely make ends meet today. Poor peopleoften do not have time, energy or resources to plan and successfully complete long-term goals.The daily grind of life can make it more difficult to attend college classes at night in hopes ofgetting a better job.

　　Rich people also have stress and face difficulties. But their situations are very different. Richpeople's stress is often linked to career advancement. It is short-term stress that helps leadthem to a long-term goal.

　　Of course, rich people can have terrible things happen to them. But they are usually betterprepared.

　　They usually have better life insurance policies. They may have more professional contactsthat often reach far back to college and even high school. These connections can help them getanother job should they lose the one they have.

　　People with money usually have better doctors and medical care than poor people. If a familymember develops a drug dependency, for example, a person with money can send them to adrug treatment center.

　　The rich also have access to support that poor people often don't.

　　A poor person may worry a lot about a child getting poor grades in school. A rich person canpay a tutor to help their child. In other words, wealthy people can throw money at theirproblems. This can greatly reduce stress.

　　It is important to note that chronic stress can be a problem among poor people in the UnitedStates. In other countries, the poor may not experience the same kind of stress.

　　The Brookings survey found that the Americans most at risk are generally uneducated, lower-income white people. The rates of suicide and addiction to prescription drugs are on the riseamong this group.

　　This same poll found that differences between life satisfaction and stress between rich andpoor Americans are very large.

　　I'm Anna Matteo.