In this week’s Economist magazine, it was reported that a study on the social behavior of monkeys found that there is a strong link between the rank of a monkey in a social circle and a monkey’s level of risk for falling ill to disease. Basically, the lower a monkey’s status, the higher the chance a monkey will experience stress, have an immune system breakdown, contract heart trouble, Alzheimer’s and more.
“A group of researchers at the University of Chicago looked at the effects of status on rhesus macaques. The high risk of disease among those at the bottom of the heap in both cases suggests that biochemical responses to low status affect a creature’s immune system. Those responses must, in turn, depend on changes in the way the creatures’ genes are expressed.”
To investigate this phenomenon, the researchers manipulated the hierarchies of female macaques. The results were fairly astounding. “Given a blood sample and no other information, it was possible to predict an individual’s status within her group with an accuracy of 80%.”
The silver lining of the study is that the negative philological effects of being a lowly monkey can be reversed with social promotion – which explains a lot about why MDs have that smile on their face. The implications for the common analyst are pretty clear: grind hard and that burning sensation in your liver might one day subside and be replaced by a shining confidence and high spirited contempt for those below you.
This post also makes me wonder about the effects of relative status vs. your broader peers. Would attending a lower ranked school and/or working a less regarded bank also have an impact on your health?
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This is the key ingredient missing from political discourse. The term 'socio/economic status' is a misnomer: the issue is people's ability to control their own life and express themselves. Everyone acknowledges that there will always be more powerful / wealthy / famous / etc people, but in the day to day of life, people need a sense of self.
FWIW I feel more human as a manager of a small bar than an monkey at a big firm, even though I get paid more as a monkey. I am best when CREATING, because no one can control that, only me. Speaking of which, time to find my guitar, it's been years and my soul is dying.
Nice share.
I'm the same way UFO, I used to be a real creative guy, always full of great ideas. Finance has sucked out my soul and replaced it with linear thinking and an unhealthy dose of cynicism.
^^^ true story
this^
Are you my neighbor?
I never knew that you played. I've been paying for about 10 years now and I specialize in metal. Maybe we should jam together someday?
Being creative to a degree is one of the greatest forms of intelligence in my few, so this post speaks to my tune.
The fat monkeys that no one else wants to fuck/talk to screw up this study
^ Does your neighbor play classical or metal?
Yikes, I was just speaking everyone's mind, I'm cool....but it seems this thread touched a nerve. Truth is, I'm not even a full fledged analyst until I get my licenses and a lot of guys have it way worse (or better if you consider they don't need a second job). Even more to the point: everyone here knew what they were signing up for and decided to make a sacrifice for brighter future: WE HAVE what the lost souls protesting us on Wall Street want.
Check this out: one of the girls at my licensing class is a former protester. I've talked with these people, gone and drank with these people, even bought them pizza when it was cold last winter, hell I WAS A PROTESTER a decade ago. You and I are lucky because we can snap to attention and get shit done, but not everyone will ever have that chance, and not everyone manages to carve out a niche for themselves in the machine. I'm being kind here, but aside from the psychos and kids with mommy/daddy isues, a lot of those protesters are the downtrodden, and that's all they have left.
Not saying they don't need a good hard kick in the rear to get their shit together (some really do) but maybe it is clearer what is motivating them. Why else would a bunch of misguided youth make a stink in front of our great nation's first capital, and the seat of global wealth? Sure Wall Street has problems, but every industry, government and social institution does, that's life. I still don't like walking the gauntlet on the way to work and I'm not alone with that sentiment, but I do understand them.
That having been said, I hope they get their shit together and move on. If I'm late for work again because of them, I WILL kick their ass. They forget that the police are also there to protect THEM from US.
Cheers and ciao, I've already been shooting my mouth off too much. Epic Thread Jack, sorry OP :(
the monkeys were introduced incrementally. so extrapolating:
found a company -> healthy like zuck be an analyst -> die a miserable death
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