How Your Self-Perceived Social Status Could Extend Your Life

Good news for Hyacinth Bucket of BBC sitcom fame - social climbing makes you live longer.

The higher people rate their social standing, the lower the risk of premature mortality, says new research.

Those - like Patricia Routledge's sharp-elbowed character in Keeping Up Appearances - who place themselves in the upper part of the social ladder, are 40 per cent less likely to die young, according to research in Health Psychology.

Status-related stress, and greater confidence, and increased optimism, may be implicated, say researchers.

Hyacinth once told viewers: 'If there's one thing I can't stand, it's snobbery and one-upmanship. People trying to pretend they're superior. Makes it so much harder for those of us who really are.'

And Professor Alexi Gugushvili from the University of Oslo said: 'Our study provides new evidence that how people see their position within the social hierarchy was significantly associated with long-term mortality.

'We found that individuals who rated themselves higher had a significantly lower hazard of death over the subsequent 12 years, even after accounting for education, income, occupation, and health.

'Our findings show that public health efforts should address not only income but also status-related stress, and that those who feel respected may have better long-term health prospects.'

Much research has looked at so-called objective socioeconomic status such as education, income and occupation and their effects on health and mortality.But in the new study, the authors looked at subjective social status - where you feel you rank in society in relation to respect, power, education and prospects.

The research involved around 12,000 men and women followed from early adulthood into midlife over about 12 years, and their subjective social status (SSS) was compared with the risk of mortality during that period.

SSS was measured by asking people where they thought they stood on a ten-step ladder. On the top rung were the people who had all, from good education to a top job, while at the bottom, were those who had the least. They were told: 'Choose the step where you think you stand at this time in your life, relative to other people.'

Results show that each one-step increase on the 10-rung was associated with an 11 per cent lower risk of death after taking into account factors from health and education to age and marital status.

Those who placed themselves on the upper part of the ladder had an overall 40 per cent lower risk of mortality compared to those beneath them.

Just how self-ascribed social status, which goes beyond income alone, could have such effects is unclear, but the health benefits from self-esteem and costs from stress could be to blame.

Professor Gugushvili said: 'People with low perceived status are more likely to experience chronic stress, hopelessness, social exclusion, and low self-esteem.

`This can translate into physiological wear and tear, increasing vulnerability to cardiovascular disease, immune issues, and mental health problems.

'Low SSS may also be associated with greater exposure to stress-inducing environments, and loss of control, both of which can undermine long-term survival.

'In addition, low perceived status is often linked to riskier health behaviour and reduced engagement in preventive care, which over time, worsens disadvantage.'

He added: 'Our findings suggest that health inequalities are shaped not only by the resources people have, but also by how they experience their place in society.

'Two individuals may look similar on paper, yet if one feels persistently lower in status, less respected, or less secure about the future, that may carry long-term consequences for health.

'This points to the importance of taking the lived experience of inequality seriously, not just its economic dimensions.'