The 'mental drain' of being poor is actually caused by the feeling of constant stress, not just the lack of money.
It is often assumed that lower-income parents invest less time in their children because of poor self-control or simply lacking funds. This study shows that the cognitive drain actually comes from 'felt scarcity' (subjective stress), which saps a parent's attention regardless of their actual income level.
Does Scarcity Tax Parents' Minds?
SSRN · 6465064
Parents with limited income spend less time than their advantaged counterparts engaging in educational activities with their children. A common explanation is that financial scarcity creates a "bandwidth tax" on cognition. The scarcity framework highlights two components: attentional capacity (the ability to focus amid competing demands) and executive control (the ability to resist temptation and act in line with long-term goals). No study has tested which is the primary constraint on parental i