Why are people more relaxed and at ease with each other in some countries than others? Why do we worry so much about what others think of us and often feel social life is a stressful performance? Why is mental illness three times as common in the USA as in Germany? Why is the American dream more of a reality in Denmark than the USA? What makes child well-being so much worse in some countries than others?
According to our next guests, the answer to all these is inequality. In the new book, "The Inner Level," Professors Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett explain how inequality affects us individually, altering how we think, feel and behave.
Richard Wilkinson has played a formative role in international research on the social determinants of health. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Nottingham Medical School and Honorary Professor at University College London.
Kate Pickett is Professor of Epidemiology, Research Champion for Justice and Equality and Deputy Director of the Centre for Future Health at the University of York.