Large crowd of men, many wearing hats, listening to speeches at mass meeting of Works Progress Administration (WPA). They are workers protesting congressional cut of relief appropriations. Taken in San Francisco, California -- Photo by Dorothea Lange

Fewer bank deposits, shorter lives

This study examines how being born during the Great Depression impacted how long people lived. By analyzing historical county-level bank deposit data as a measure of local economic conditions, it’s found that babies born in areas hit hardest by the economic collapse—specifically during their in utero or first year of life—died younger than their peers. For every standard deviation drop in deposits, life expectancy in old age fell by about 1.7 months. The study rules out many other explanations and suggests that early-life stress and deprivation may have long-term health effects that outlast improvements in education or income later in life.