The Inner Level shows: How income inequality strengthens the grip of class and status How popular myths about human nature and capabilities are used to justify inequality How we can tackle inequality and why it is vital we do so if we are to make the transition to sustainable wellbeing

The Inner Level builds on The Spirit Level, which showed that: Income inequality is linked to a wide range of health and social problems The effects are large – there are big differences between societies Not only the poor are affected, inequality affects the whole population

Section 1 Inequality in the Mind

Inequality increases anxieties about status, making people doubt their self-worth Redrawn from data kindly provided by Richard Layte: Layte R, Whelan C. Who feels inferior? A test of the status anxiety hypothesis of social inequalities in health. European Sociological Review. 2014;30:525-535

So we see more mental illness in unequal societies

One response is for people to become depressed… Redrawn from data in: Messias E, Eaton WW, Grooms AN. Economic grand rounds: Income inequality and depression prevalence across the United States: an ecological study. Psychiatric Services. 2011;62(7):710-712.

…and withdraw from social interaction Redrawn from data in: Lancee B, Van de Werfhorst HG. Income inequality and participation: A comparison of 24 European countries. Social science research. 2012;41(5):1166-1178.

Another response is for people to exaggerate their self-importance… Redrawn from data kindly provided by Peter Kuppens and Steve Loughnan et al . Economic inequality is linked to biased self-perception. Psychological science. 2011;22(10):1254-1258.

….and become more narcissistic College students’ Narcissistic Personality Inventory scores over time reflect the rise in US income inequality

Addictive behaviour increases: e.g., gambling

Money and consumerism become more important Redrawn from data kindly provided by Iacoviello M. Household Debt and Income Inequality, 1963–2003. Journal of Money, Credit and Banking. 2008;40(5):929-965.

Myths of Human Nature, Meritocracy and Class Section 2 Myths of Human Nature, Meritocracy and Class

Some people believe that inequality is inevitable given human nature But human nature is a two-sided coin: We have contrasting social strategies for both egalitarian and hierarchical societies How we are depends on where we are

Some people believe that the hierarchy is a meritocracy But the brain is highly malleable Differences in ability reflect class environments and what people do

A wider gap in educational attainment is created by inequality

Income inequality increases inequalities of opportunity Redrawn using data from the World Bank and Corak M. Income inequality, equality of opportunity, and intergenerational mobility. Journal of Economic Perspectives. 2013;27(3):79-102.

Section 3 The Road Ahead

GDP rises, but Life Satisfaction and the Genuine Progress Indicator no longer rise with it Redrawn from data kindly provided by Kubiszewski I, Costanza R, Franco C, et al. Beyond GDP: Measuring and achieving global genuine progress. Ecological Economics. 2013;93(0):57-68.

The fall and rise of inequality

Inequality is the mirror image of trade union strength Redrawn from data provided by Colin Gordon: Eisenbrey RG, C. As unions decline, inequality rises. Economic Policy Institute; 2012.

The take-off of top incomes Ratio of CEO pay to average pay of production workers in largest 350 US companies Redrawn from data kindly provided by Mishel L, Sabadish N. Pay and the top 1%: How executive compensation and financial-sector pay have fuelled income inequality. Economic Policy Institute;2012.

Embedding greater equality requires economic democracy