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Systemic racism can get under our skin and into our genes
Author(s) -
Mulligan Connie J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
american journal of physical anthropology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.146
H-Index - 119
eISSN - 1096-8644
pISSN - 0002-9483
DOI - 10.1002/ajpa.24290
Subject(s) - sociocultural evolution , racism , race (biology) , affect (linguistics) , poverty , epigenetics , gene , mental health , psychology , biology , genetics , sociology , gender studies , communication , political science , anthropology , psychiatry , law
Special Issue ‐ Race reconciled II: Interpreting and communicating biological variation and race in 2021 Many sociocultural factors, like poverty and trauma, or homelessness versus a safe neighborhood, can get “under our skin” and affect our lives. These factors may also get “into our genes” through epigenetic changes that influence how genes are expressed. Changes in gene expression can further influence how we respond to sociocultural factors and how those factors impact our physical and mental health, creating a feedback loop between our sociocultural environment and our genome.