How immigration affects your health
Plus, do toddlers understand loyalty?
Give us your tired...There’s endless discussion and debate these days about how immigration affects the economy and local communities. Less discussed is the impact of immigration on public health — an important topic given that many immigrants to the U.S. work in the health and long‑term care industries. Using national immigration patterns and Medicare data, researchers looked at how increases in local immigrant populations affected the health care workforce and, ultimately, mortality among adults aged 65 or older. They found that for every 1,000 new immigrants, about 142 became health care workers. And despite some fears, these workers didn’t push out U.S.-born workers, either. In fact, the study found that total staffing went up. An even more striking finding? Increases in immigration meant fewer deaths for older adults. To put a number on it, a 25% increase in immigration meant 5,000 fewer deaths nationwide. The researchers hypothesized that with more healthcare workers, fewer adults were likely to end up in nursing homes, where infectious diseases can more easily spread. In other words, when more caregivers are available — especially with home‑based care — our health improves because of it.
Mine! Sure, toddlers are tiny chaos machines, but don’t underestimate their ability to read a room. A study set out to see whether two‑year‑olds understand the concept of loyalty. Researchers showed toddlers live interactions where a person had to choose between two toys — one that belonged to someone in a different group, and one that belonged to their own group. Toddlers knew the person actually wanted the other group’s toy. But when a third party—someone from the outgroup— was observing the person choose, the toddler expected the person to pick the ingroup toy anyway. When the outgroup member left, toddlers switched expectations — now they thought the person would follow their own personal preference. “Even in the first two years of life, children already expect people to show ingroup loyalty, even when it means sacrificing their personal preferences,” said study author Lin Bian.
Be brave...Why do some people act bravely in a crisis, while others flee or freeze up? There are mental obstacles that can block us when we’re charting a new path. But there are also ways we can strengthen the reflexes that will help us to be brave when it matters most. Listen to learn more.
ON THE HIDDEN BRAIN PODCAST
Why You’re Smarter Than You Think: From the time we’re schoolchildren, we’re ranked and sorted based on how smart we are. But what if our assumptions about intelligence limit our potential? This week, psychologist Scott Barry Kaufman proposes a more expansive notion of what it means to be “smart.” Then, in the latest installment of Your Questions Answered, psychologist James Cordova answers listener questions on accepting our romantic partners as they are.
ON THE MY UNSUNG HERO PODCAST
Olivia Joffrey’s Story: When Olivia was in sixth grade, her teacher planned a Father’s Day softball game for students and their dads. But Olivia’s father had recently been diagnosed with a rare case of both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. A young man named Bob showed up in his place.
Don’t forget to send us the story of your unsung hero! Record a voice memo on your phone and email it to myunsunghero@hiddenbrain.org.
A PIC FROM THE ROAD
Shankar interviews experts at the Davos Alzheimer’s Collaborative (DAC) Brain House, during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland. The session was part of a week of DAC programming focused on elevating brain health as a global policy and economic priority.
DON’T FEEL FOMO: COME SEE US LIVE!
Our next stops on Hidden Brain’s live tour are just weeks away! Join Shankar for an evening of science and storytelling in Philadelphia on March 21 or New York City on March 25. He’ll be sharing seven key psychological insights from his first decade hosting the show. And stayed tuned for more tour stops to be announced later this spring!
MIND GAMES
There are two ducks in front of a duck, two ducks behind a duck and a duck in the middle. How many ducks are there?
LAST WEEK’S PUZZLE
In 1990, a person is 15 years old. In 1995, that same person is 10 years old. How can this be?
The answer: The person was born in 2005 BC.
A MOMENT OF JOY
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