While many of the poor are burdened with debt, helping them financially is controversial, because their debts are often believed to result from bad habits. A new study by the Social Service Research Centre (SSR) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) demonstrates that reducing the number of debt accounts lowers the mental burden of the poor, thereby improving psychological and cognitive performance. This enables better decision-making. Hence, poverty interventions should be structured to improve psychological and cognitive functioning in addition to addressing the financial needs of the poor.
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