ility and living conditions. This is a part of the exposure hypothesis which states that "lower-class people are exposed to more stressful life experiences than those in the middle or upper classes, and that higher rates of distress are a logical result of this exposure." (Weiss and Lonnquist 97) Because of these higher levels of distress, those in a lower socioeconomic status have higher incidences of diseases aggravated by stress such as cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure. This added stress also leads to negative health behaviors such as smoking, alcohol abuse, and drug abuse all of which have adverse affects on health.These various stressors of everyday life caused by gender differences and differences in socioeconomic status can have a more profound affect than they seem....
