A new study shows that a low social status can be bad for your health. Researchers from Duke University in the USA looked at the behaviour and health of 45 female monkeys. The monkeys with a lower social status had more health problems. The monkeys were split into five groups. The researchers gave the monkeys time to get to know each other. Then they took one monkey from each group and put her into another group. This meant she was the "new girl" at the bottom of the group. Researchers found that the "new girl" was unhealthier than the other monkeys.
The researchers said that although their study focused on monkeys, the findings could also be true for humans because we share a lot of our DNA with monkeys. Professor Graham Rook, from University College London, told the BBC News that governments need to understand that people with a lower social status have more health problems. He said "people at the bottom" have got cars and TVs, but that does not mean they are happy. If they feel they are at the bottom, their health will get worse. People who are richer can live up to two decades longer than those who are poorer.
