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Discrimination Causes Nearly Instantaneous Spikes in Stress Hormones
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Discrimination Causes Nearly Instantaneous Spikes in Stress Hormones

The study of real-time cortisol levels opens the door to understanding how daily life events influence health

Rodrigo Pérez Ortega
Science, 2022
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Recommendation

While it seems common sense that enduring racial slurs and constant discrimination would cause psychological and physical harm to people of color, a new study has directly measured the effects. The Yale University study led by Soohyun Nam, while small, may lead to a better understanding of how daily exposure to such negative encounters harms health — and create awareness of these issues in the general population.

Take-Aways

  • A new study shows that negative racial encounters can affect the health of people of color.
  • This may be the first study to directly connect stress biomarkers to racism.
  • Results prompted researchers to plan larger studies on the links between racial acrimony and negative health effects.

About the Author

Rodrigo Pérez Ortega is a science journalist covering life sciences, medicine, health and academia.

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