It was during his inaugural address on January 20, 1961, that President John F. Kennedy, made his famous exhortation, “And so, my fellow Americans: ask not what your country can do for you—ask what you can do for your country.” Although the president’s speech that day lasted over 14-minutes, this single sentence succinctly captured two enduring views of government: as the servant to the people or as their master. Much has changed in the nearly six decades since President Kennedy’s address, yet politicians remain as divided today over the relative roles of government and private citizens as in any previous decade.
Even as our leaders debate topics such as the optimal size and function of government in Washington, D.C., the beliefs that we adopt about these political topics as individuals are covertly exerting a potentially large effect on our health. Because we usually do not consider political views to be a risk factor for illness, it is natural to ask how abstract beliefs about government, healthcare, or immigration could affect something as concrete as our physical and mental health. The short answer is through what is known as locus of control. By promoting an “external” locus of control, adopting certain political beliefs may negatively influence what we perceive to be the primary causes of health problems and our attributions over who is responsible for treating them.