Keith Payne Books
Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on inequality, discrimination, and the psychology of social status.
Known for: The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
Books by Keith Payne
The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
In The Broken Ladder, social psychologist Keith Payne explores how economic inequality shapes our perceptions, decisions, and health. Drawing on psychological and neuroscientific research, Payne argues that inequality distorts how people see themselves and others, influencing everything from trust and happiness to political polarization and physical well-being. The book reveals how relative status, not just absolute wealth, profoundly affects human behavior and social cohesion.
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The Perception of Inequality
The first step to grasping inequality is to understand that our minds are wired for comparison. Humans are social creatures whose sense of value depends on how we measure ourselves against others. This is not about greed or jealousy; it is about our brain’s built-in system for navigating hierarchies...
From The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
The Biology of Status
Our bodies respond to rank as if it were a physical condition. When inequality increases, so does stress-related illness, cardiovascular problems, and even mortality. Research shows that social status can predict health outcomes more strongly than medical access or lifestyle habits. That’s because s...
From The Broken Ladder: How Inequality Affects the Way We Think, Live, and Die
About Keith Payne
Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on inequality, discrimination, and the psychology of social status. He has published widely in academic journals and is known for his work on implicit bias and the socia...
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Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on inequality, discrimination, and the psychology of social status. He has published widely in academic journals and is known for his work on implicit bias and the socia...
Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on inequality, discrimination, and the psychology of social status. He has published widely in academic journals and is known for his work on implicit bias and the social effects of economic disparity.
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Keith Payne is a professor of psychology and neuroscience at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. His research focuses on inequality, discrimination, and the psychology of social status.
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