Episode
Daily Poll Question: Genes or money - which shapes a child's brain more?
- Podcast
- The Smerconish Podcast
- Published
- Jun 15, 2026
- Duration seconds
- 659
- Processing state
not_requested- Canonical source
- https://www.siriusxm.com
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Summary
Today's Poll Question at Smerconish.com: Genes or money — which shapes a child's brain more? Michael revisits the classic nature-versus-nurture debate, but with a modern twist. Prompted by new research from Washington University in St. Louis, he examines evidence suggesting that socioeconomic factors—including income, neighborhood conditions, stress, sleep, and screen time—may have a profound impact on measurable brain development in children. He also connects the findings to economist Raj Chetty’s work on economic mobility and the power of cross-class friendships. Is money really the key factor, or is it a proxy for something larger: opportunity, connection, and social capital? Listen here, then vote, and be sure to rate, review and share this podcast! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See https://pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.