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I have to admit it. I'm a fact junkie. I read mostly
nonfiction. I scan the on-line headlines several
times a day. I love statistics and studies proving
one thing or another. Sometimes I even take action
based on studies. Vitamin E for heart health? I'm
there. Vitamin E dangerous for heart health? I quit.
Low-dose aspirin for stroke and heart attack prevention?
I buy the big bottle. Chances of getting killed
in a terrorist attack less than being hit by lightning?
I can relax - but not sit under tall trees in a
thunderstorm.
It's hard not to pay attention to facts. There
seems to be a barrage of new facts in the news every
day. And the facts are often backed up by statistics.
A digression
When I think about it, I'm not happy with the dictionary
definition of "fact": "Knowledge
or information based on real occurrences" (American
Heritage Dictionary). It leaves too many terms undefined,
such as "knowledge," "real,"
or even "occurrences." What, after all,
is a "real occurrence"? But I've got a
visceral grasp of this definition, and it's hard
to combat it unless I give it some further thought.
One definition of "fact" that I found
useful when I was writing educational materials
is "any information that can be independently
tested or verified." This definition puts facts
into contrast with opinions, which was exactly the
distinction I was trying to teach. A very interesting
aspect of this definition is that facts can be true
or false. Fact: I can run a marathon in under two
hours. Verification: Just time me. This is a fact,
but it is false. Opinion: I enjoy intense exercise.
There's no way, or no straightforward way, to verify
this. (And the opinion is erroneous, of not false.)
We are bombarded with facts and opinions, from
the newspaper to TV to the blogosphere. Many of
the facts are untrue or only partly true. The lies
may be simple acts of wishful thinking or carelessness,
or they may be dishonest (the "damned lies"),
or they may even be the best facts available, subject
to revision (but rarely presented as such).
And then there are statistics, often used to support
scientific or pseudoscientific research. One statistic
in particular has intrigued me: half (that's 50
percent, statistically) of all scientific studies
turn out to be wrong. See "Most scientific
papers are probably wrong," in the New
Scientist (I know; even that paper
is 50 percent likely to be wrong.)
Facts and life
Unfortunately, many of the scientific studies reported
in the news seem to be about how we should live
our lives: what we should eat, how much sleep we
should get, how much we should weigh, what vitamins
are essential, whether we should marry or stay single,
how much sex we should have, where we should live,
how much we should save, and so on.
Raise your hand if you have never seen any of these
things accompanied by statistics.
No hands? I thought so. I find this statistical
approach to life amusing when it isn't downright
frustrating and maddening.
Here's a thought: All the news stories about how
we should lead our lives are not really intended
to help us in our pursuit of health and happiness.
They're published for their entertainment value.
That's right. Entertainment. Some of us humans apparently
love to feel smug about what we're doing to beat
the odds. Others - or perhaps the same ones of us
- apparently love to feel inadequate and scared
about not doing all the right things. I gobble up
the statistics on diet and then go right on gobbling
up red meat, fast food, and chips. I read all about
Vitamin E and start chowing down on pills, until
a later study implicates E with heart disease. Anything
to keep on feeling the pang of guilt and fear alternating
with hope.
Prescription
If the lies, damned lies, and statistics are not
really leading me toward a happier, healthier life,
what would be a reasonable prescription for a better
life?
One place to start might be to cancel my subscriptions
and put the TV and computer in a locked closet.
That's not very practical.
My personal prescription might be something along
the lines of living my life in a way that gives
maximum satisfaction, comfort, and joy - with the
realization that each person's definition of satisfaction,
comfort, and joy is different from everyone else's.
This is not like living a fact-free life. The biggest
challenge in following this prescription is to sift
through the available facts and then think for myself
and make some basic decisions about how I want to
live, and what makes me happy.
The sifting process may involve waiting for other
tests and verification, comparing new information
against my own experiences, or even the simple application
of common sense. The cold eye of common sense can
often see that a study was too narrow in scope,
too limited in the questions it asked, or too tentative
in its conclusions to be of any real usefulness.
If I can recognize the news articles as entertainment
and not as guides to better living, I can indulge
in my addiction without guilt. After all, sifting
through facts is fun for me. And there will occasionally
be a gem or two that may change my behavior because
it resonates with my search for satisfaction, comfort,
and joy.
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