On the contrary, when economic growth actually intensifies income equality -- as is the case in the U.S., Britain, Portugal, and many other countries --, then overall quality of life is decreased in ways that can be objectively measured. This brings the reader to the second premise: More unequal societies suffer dramatically higher rates of essentially all modern social problems than more equal societies. These social ills include obesity, cardiovascular disease, lower life expectancy, homicide and violence, mental illness, anxiety and depression, drug and alcohol abuse, teenage births, higher imprisonment rates, lower educational achievement, lower levels of social mobility, and lower levels of social trust. The data supporting these conclusions is abundant and compelling.
But why is this the case? Here, The Spirit Level offers a few plausible and interconnected explanations, based on numerous social experiments. First, inequality creates hierarchical societies where status and competition matter a great deal -- in contrast to more egalitarian societies, where there is a marked emphasis on cooperation and the well-being of the collective. Status competition pressures people to measure themselves against others (the desire to "keep up" and not lose one's place in the social ladder) and is likely a root cause of social problems, encouraging a culture of status differentiation though conspicuous materialism. Those on the bottom of a hierarchical society suffer the most, with studies of primate showing the harmful effect of low social status on brain chemistry and pleasure. Sociologist use something called the bicycle reaction to describe social interactions in unequal societies: Imagine a speeding cyclist peddling aggressively with her head down, bowing to those above her (people of a higher social position) while simultaneously stepping on those below her (the lower class/es) in an order to preserve social status.
The data insists that increased equality not only demonstrably benefits the middle and lower classes, but also the upper classes -- even the superrich. This is because, while social ills affect the lower class the most severely, society is a community and no individual or class is completely immune to the corrosive effects of a deeply stratified community. The authors make another salient point, describing that it is not important how equality is achieved -- be it the Scandinavian style of redistribution of wealth through social expenditures, or the Japanese system where wages are much more equal to begin with and social expenditures are very low -- the key thing is simply attaining relative equality because it measurably benefits all members of society.
The prevalence of psychosocial problems in modern societies implores us to change our current social and economic trajectory. As inequality increases, community relations and social trust deteriorate. We approach social problems as isolated, unrelated issues that can be treated by piecemeal policy efforts and/or new profit-oriented institutions. Yet real progress constantly eludes our efforts, and in many cases, we are losing ground to these urgent social problems. In today's U.S. political climate, it is highly unpopular to advocate equality, and those who do are often defamed as un-patriotic and inherently opposed to liberty. The Spirit Level convincingly argues that it is not equality that is opposed to liberty, but rather quite the opposite: Inequality fundamentally challenges freedom, fairness, and community.
Today, achieving something closer to relative equality may seem impossibly far-fetched. Martin Luther King Jr. reminds us to be optimistic and farsighted: "The moral arc of the universe is long, but it bends towards justice."
