The Myth of Normal 52

inflammation in their bodies, and hence were at higher risk for illness; the longer the unemployment, the greater the risk. The most severe inflammation levels were recorded in Scotland, the part of the U.K. where unemployment was most endemic and chronic.[14] Even the gainfully employed can experience physiological blowback. In a study of the British civil service, a lower ranking on the ladder of authority was a greater predictor of death from heart disease than commonly listed risk factors such as smoking, cholesterol, or hypertension. Along similar lines, Australian researchers found that a bad job is worse for mental health than being out of work.[15] So the next time a co-worker complains to you, “This job is killing me,” you can tell them they may be right. Interpersonal biology also accounts for why loneliness can kill, especially in older people separated from pleasures, social connections, or support. A vast review of multiple studies encompassing more than three hundred thousand participants concluded that the lethal effect of deficient interpersonal relationships is comparable to such risk factors as smoking and alcohol, and even exceeds the dangers posed by physical inactivity and obesity.[16] The recently deceased Buddhist monk and renowned spiritual leader Thich Nhat Hanh long taught the concept of “interbeing.” It’s not merely that we are, he said: we “inter-are.” “There are no separate entities,” he wrote, “only manifestations that rely on each other to be possible.”[17] Again, we would be quite mistaken to relegate these observations to the realm of mystical belief. A scientist lacking a spiritual bone in his body, yet conversant with the growing body of evidence, would nod in agreement: “Yup, that about covers it