[extropy-chat] optimism study

[Eliezer Yudkowsky]

Brett Paatsch wrote:
> Al Brooks wrote:
> 
>> A Dutch research involving 900 men & women aged 65-85 has concluded
>> there is a 55% reduction in death by all causes by the subject being
>> optimistic; a 23% reduction in death related to cardio-vascular 
>> conditions by being optimistic.
> 
> The healthy side of the power of positive thinking has been recognized 
> for quite a while. Presumably that is part of the reason that placebos 
> work to some extent. I read somewhere recently that depressed or
> pessimistic people make for more reliable eye witnesses at crime senses.

Thou shalt not confuse correlation and causation.

-- 
Eliezer S. Yudkowsky                          http://singinst.org/
Research Fellow, Singularity Institute for Artificial Intelligence