Discriminate, and You'll Get Sick

Discrimination could literally make you sick, say investigators from the Rice University. Their latest research on the effects of discrimination revealed that people who discriminate others based on race tend to be more likely to report high levels of emotional upset.

They also display physical symptoms that make them say they are ill. All of this may be related to a perceived race-based treatment that they believe they are receiving, Rice sociologists Dr. Jenifer Bratter and Dr. Bridget Gorman explain.

The team says that this type of behavior is affecting both Blacks and Whites, with 18 percent of the former and 4 percent of the latter reporting the aforementioned symptoms, PsychCentral informs.

“Discriminatory behavior very well may be a ‘missing link’ in the analysis of racial and ethnic health disparities. It’s important to acknowledge and study its impact on long-term health,” Bratter explains.