Study: Socioeconomic Conditions Significantly Influence Children's Brain Development

A family’s socioeconomic conditions are believed to have a more significant influence on a child’s brain development than previously estimated, according to a new study conducted by scientists from Washington University. In the study involving around 12,000 children aged 9-10 years, researchers found that socioeconomic factors accounted for approximately 16 per cent of the variation in children’s brain function size. This figure is higher than the influence of intellectual intelligence (IQ), parenting patterns, and health history. Senior study author Nico Dosenbach said the brains of children from poor families appear similar to those of children from wealthy families who experience sleep deprivation and high stress. “The brain of a child from a low socioeconomic background looks like the brain of a child from a high socioeconomic environment who is sleep-deprived and stressed,” Dosenbach said, as reported by Euro News on Friday (12/6/2026). However, this does not mean that children from poor families have less intelligent brains. Dosenbach noted that the differences arising from socioeconomic factors can be reduced if the child’s stress and sleep quality are improved. Children are known to be highly vulnerable to poverty. They are more likely to live in poverty than adults, and this can have a greater impact on them during critical periods of brain development. According to UNICEF, nearly 900 million children worldwide experience multidimensional poverty, meaning they lack basic necessities such as food, water, shelter, education, and healthcare. In the study, scientists analysed 649 variables affecting children’s brain development. These variables included screen time, cognitive abilities, physical and mental health, parenting, and demographic factors such as race and gender. The results showed that financial conditions and living environment were the most influential factors. These two factors are closely linked to brain function in motor and sensory areas, which are highly sensitive to daily changes such as sleep quality and stress levels. Lead study author Scott Marek described the findings as surprising, even characterising socioeconomic factors as “the elephant in the brain” due to their enormous influence. “I started calling it ‘the elephant’ in the brain. I suspected socioeconomic status would have an effect, but I didn’t expect it to be this large. It really dwarfed everything else,” Marek said.