News of another "I coulda told ya that!" study surfaces

[soylentgreen]

This just in from the cutting edge of scientific investigation...
Scientists say "Keep your sunny side up..up!"

Causality, right? Sheesh...and I don't even own a labcoat.

Be sure to appreciate the other "Science News" issues on the side links:
India Expands Chicken Slaughter and Zapping Zits with Light
at least those were my options when I visited the page.

[Huevos Grandes]

I'm not so sure... perhaps I'll conduct a study that proves that pessimism and depression, manifested through laying around, not working, and mixed with insomnia will make you healthy! Looking for test individuals now....

[Bobunf]

Where is William Proxmire when we need him?

Bob

[NEOWatcher]

This just in from the cutting edge of scientific investigation...
Scientists say "Keep your sunny side up..up!"

I'm POSITIVE you're dying

[NEOWatcher]

And dress well too"

[Gruesome]

And-a one, two, three, four--

Always look on the bright side of life....

[Gillianren]

I'm not so sure... perhaps I'll conduct a study that proves that pessimism and depression, manifested through laying around, not working, and mixed with insomnia will make you healthy! Looking for test individuals now....

Sorry, but although I meet your criteria, I don't think I'd do your hypothesis much good!

[Tobin Dax]

I'm not so sure... perhaps I'll conduct a study that proves that pessimism and depression, manifested through laying around, not working, and mixed with insomnia will make you healthy! Looking for test individuals now....

Is there back pay? [Remember, I'm a grad student. I live your test. ]

[Jules]

And-a one, two, three, four--

Always look on the bright side of life....

I wondered when the first Monty Python reference would come up

[beskeptical]

OK folks, let's get scientific here. Healthier people might just have more optimistic outlooks. Things have gone well for them. The person who has had bad health might easily feel pessimistic.

[NEOWatcher]

OK folks, let's get scientific here. Healthier people might just have more optimistic outlooks. Things have gone well for them. The person who has had bad health might easily feel pessimistic.

You might be right, but I'm sure there's some factors of both. Placebos come to mind.
But; this made me laugh "Higher scores were associated with being younger"
And; It seems they haven't gone that far yet
"It is yet to be established whether interventions aimed at improving an older individual's level of optimism may reduce the risk of cardiovascular mortality," he added.

I wish the media would publish why these studies exist in each case. Is it someones thesis? Is it related to some stupid lawsuit? Is it just one statistic in a slew of others that can only be understood in context? Does someone really don't know?

[Halcyon Dayz]

Dr. Erik Giltay works in Delft, not Deft.
Nicholas' hangout.

Turns out it is is a data-mining project.
In a unrelated research-project a thousand elderly people filled
in questionnaires on nutrition over a 9 year period.
In which period half of the men and one third of the women perished.
It was deduced that, all things being equal, optimistic people lived longer.

The research was originally published in Archives of General
Psychiatry, November 2004. So it's old news.

It can be useful to have hard numbers to confirm or deny something
'everybody knows'. 'Everybody knows' is quite often wrong.

Elsevier article in Dutch.

[soylentgreen]

On deeper reflection, I feel the whole concept is still a bit dubious.

Turns out it is is a data-mining project.
In a unrelated research-project a thousand elderly people filled
in questionnaires on nutrition over a 9 year period.
In which period half of the men and one third of the women perished.
It was deduced that, all things being equal, optimistic people lived longer.

I'm willing to bet there were quite a few optimistic souls in Pompeii and Herculaneum in that summer of 79. Frankly they'dve had to be to stick around. All things were equal...they were all equally flash fried. Nice way to celebrate the Vulcan holiday, huh?



...and just how elderly were those subjects to begin with? Was it optimism or just resignation to fate(very different from pessimism)?

Maybe they should try conducting these studies in a few different corners of the planet. I'm sure the results elsewhere would differ drastically from the relatively well fed and reasonably healthy first world.