How Bodies Weather Social Stress

Population Healthy

When you hear the term “weathering,” you may think of soil or rock erosion next to a busy stream, or the paint of a house fading under the glare of the sun. But what if it could also happen to our bodies?
In this episode of Population Healthy Season 3: Race, Inequity, and Closing the Health Gap, experts from the University of Michigan School of Public Health discuss weathering, which encapsulates the idea that lived experiences and stress have impact on our bodily systems—with disadvantaged and/or populations of color often experiencing this firsthand. We’ll also learn about the ways researchers are studying the impacts of these social stressors—such as racism and discrimination—and how they can literally have an impact on your body at a cellular level.
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