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Iceland's Water Cure

nytimes.com

11–20 of 39 posts

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#11
post #2

Can the secret to the country’s happiness be found in its communal pools? If you use suicide rate as an indicator, Iceland doesn't seem to be so happy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_r...

more suicides means less depressed people walking around, so that could make a happier society.. (suicide boots from Futurama anyone?)

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#12
post #8
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Iceland gets next to no sun November-February, leading people to depression, drinking, etc. It would likely affect you much more than the winter you know from other countries. If anything, the social aspect of going to a hot pool in the winter is likely to keep people from committing more suicides.

This explanation of little sun => suicides doesn't work, at least as directly as most would think: Research on seasonal effects on suicide rates suggests that the prevalence of suicide is greatest during the late spring and early summer months, despite the common belief that suicide rates peak during the cold and dark months of the winter season. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_effects_on_suicide_ra...

Lack of sun causes more people to be depressive. Non depressive people are happier during late spring and early summer. Seeing other people happy increases the tendency to suicide in depressive people.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#13
post #5

I'm an Icelander and I quite like this article, it is one of the better written pieces I have seen on a cultural phenomenon I relate with - and it is no exaggeration, swimming pools are quite central to our culture. I have two young kids and I take them to an outdoors swimming pool nearly every week, also in the wintertime. Since I live in the capital area we have a few swimming pools to choose from and we rotate bet…

It felt like Icelanders made sitting in a hot tub a national sport, which was fine by me when I visited. My son and I walked over to Vesturbæjarlaug a few times and it was great.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#14
post #5

I'm an Icelander and I quite like this article, it is one of the better written pieces I have seen on a cultural phenomenon I relate with - and it is no exaggeration, swimming pools are quite central to our culture. I have two young kids and I take them to an outdoors swimming pool nearly every week, also in the wintertime. Since I live in the capital area we have a few swimming pools to choose from and we rotate bet…

I did car trip around Iceland few years ago in may, having most of inner part still unreachable due to metres of snow. Running tiny Chevrolet Spark in places like Western fjords on their dirt roads with meeting car overy 1-2 hour, good memories. Communal pools could be found in most small villages around, I recall a big one in Akureyri, second largest city (population 18,000). Definitely part of the culture and consi…

>second largest city (population 18,000)

Could a SMALL population increase bonding / a sense of belonging amongst countrymen thereby creating happiness?

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#15
post #7
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Iceland gets next to no sun November-February, leading people to depression, drinking, etc. It would likely affect you much more than the winter you know from other countries. If anything, the social aspect of going to a hot pool in the winter is likely to keep people from committing more suicides.

Should be remembered too that cultural taboos have a big impact on whether suicides will actually be reported as such.

Exactly. It also affects how people commit suicide too. If there is a big cultural taboo against suicide then people will choose ways that look like accidents - say driving under a truck.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#16
post #2

Can the secret to the country’s happiness be found in its communal pools? If you use suicide rate as an indicator, Iceland doesn't seem to be so happy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_r...

On the other hand, it seems that suicide rates correlate poorly with results in research on happiness.

For instance, compare the results of Happiness Research Institute to the suicide rates. Some of the countries with highest suicide rates are also the happiest!

http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/02/finland-tops-european-cou...

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#17
post #2

Can the secret to the country’s happiness be found in its communal pools? If you use suicide rate as an indicator, Iceland doesn't seem to be so happy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_r...

On the other hand, it seems that suicide rates correlate poorly with results in research on happiness. For instance, compare the results of Happiness Research Institute to the suicide rates. Some of the countries with highest suicide rates are also the happiest! http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/02/finland-tops-european-cou...

You can imagine an odd pattern might develop where countries that have high suicide rates seem happier because their most depressed people irreversibly exclude themselves from the surveys. I wonder how strong the statistical effect is though.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#18
post #8
post #3

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Iceland gets next to no sun November-February, leading people to depression, drinking, etc. It would likely affect you much more than the winter you know from other countries. If anything, the social aspect of going to a hot pool in the winter is likely to keep people from committing more suicides.

This explanation of little sun => suicides doesn't work, at least as directly as most would think: Research on seasonal effects on suicide rates suggests that the prevalence of suicide is greatest during the late spring and early summer months, despite the common belief that suicide rates peak during the cold and dark months of the winter season. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seasonal_effects_on_suicide_ra...

People with some level seasonal affective disorder (SAD) and people with depression react to change differently.

For people suffering from SAD symptoms typically start in the fall and stay during winter months. For people with clinical depression it's the springtime that throws them off.

I live in Finland and I have clear SAD symptoms in the fall and winter (very tired and low energy). Using Philips light therapy lamp completely fixes it for me as does trip to Spain in the winter.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#19
I cycled around Iceland in may of last year. Slipping into a hotpool after a day of pedaling against the wind in barely above freezing temperature was simply amazing.

Re: Iceland's Water Cure

#20
post #2

Can the secret to the country’s happiness be found in its communal pools? If you use suicide rate as an indicator, Iceland doesn't seem to be so happy. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_r...

On the other hand, it seems that suicide rates correlate poorly with results in research on happiness. For instance, compare the results of Happiness Research Institute to the suicide rates. Some of the countries with highest suicide rates are also the happiest! http://www.euronews.com/2015/07/02/finland-tops-european-cou...

There is a band where people commit more suicides. To depressed and you can't really think or plan. To happy and you don't feel the need. So, oddly enough suicide is worse at the happy end of the depressed spectrum. Especially when someone goes from a deep to a more moderate depression.
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