Researchers 🧬 find biological evidence 🧪 of the toll 💔 colorism takes on young adults 🌈.

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#colorism #biologicalimpact #socioculturalstress #youngadults #healthdisparities

• ☀️ New research published in Psychoneuroendocrinology reveals that bias against darker skin tones (colorism) directly alters the body's stress response. The study found that experiences of discrimination related to skin tone disrupt cortisol levels, leading to subsequent physical health declines in young adults.

• 🔬 A study involving 53 African American and Latino undergraduate students tracked cortisol levels over a month. Participants with darker skin reported more discrimination, which correlated with flatter diurnal cortisol slopes, indicating a disrupted stress system.

• 📉 These hormonal disruptions were linked to poorer self-reported physical health six weeks later, suggesting a pathway where colorism, as a persistent stressor, physiologically impacts the body and manifests as a decline in well-being.

#Colorism #HealthDisparities #Cortisol