Can fear of losing your job harm your health? Yael and Don discuss the effects of job insecurity on physical well-being.

 Y: Welcome to A Moment of Science, the popular science radio show that's both fun and informative. Today's Topic on Moment of Science is: You're Fired. Hey, did I read that right?

D: Yep. You're fired. How do you feel?

Y: Waddaya mean, how do I feel?

D: I mean, do you feel less healthy than before I fired you? How's your weight? What about your cholesterol rate?

Y: Okay, okay . . . this is one of your set-ups. I'm not really fired, am I?

D: Well, no. It's all a cruel ploy to get me to today's subject . . . which is that job insecurity can affect your health.

Y: Yeah. It just about gave me a heart attack.

D: A study in the American Journal of Public Health shows that heart attacks are no joke for people who suspect they are going to be laid off. Over four years, a study group with imperiled jobs was found to have a forty to sixty percent greater occurrence of heart disease than a control group whose jobs were secure. And that's not all. People in insecure jobs also gained weight, overslept, tended to avoid exercise, and had higher cholesterol rates.

Y: Wow. I guess the shaky economy hurts everything. Even our bodies!

D: Even our bodies.