Context controls the ability of unconditional stimulus deflation to mitigate fear relapse.

Subnational regional inequalities in mortality are large and increasing within most developed countries. An important factor associated with such disparities is the uneven social and economic development within countries (). For example, in the UK, regional inequalities in life expectancy have been shown to follow a socio-spatial gradient – the more deprived the region, the lower the life expectancy (). Similarly, the longstanding health advantage of the north of Italy is related to its higher economic growth (), whereas in the USA, the distribution of economic conditions across the states has been an important determinant of regional variation in women’s mortality (). There is a growing recognition that addressing regional health inequalities is important – not only as a matter of social justice but also because of their importance for economic growth and development (; ; ). The case of German reunification offers a unique opportunity to explore how such inequalities can be reduced, or even eliminated: following reunification in 1990, the long-standing life expectancy gap between East and West Germany was closed for women and markedly reduced for men in a period of less than 15 years. Factors contributing to this achievement, however, are multifaceted and not yet fully understood (). Providing a better understanding of the changes that enabled Germany to ‘close the life expectancy gap’ in such an epidemiologically short time frame is the key aim of our study. In doing so, we will also contribute to the wider health inequalities literature on the relative contribution of the material, psychosocial and behavioural causes of health inequalities (; ). Identifying the factors leading to falling health inequalities in Germany could also aid the development of regional policies in comparable countries.