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Popular People Live Longer

nytimes.com

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Re: Popular People Live Longer

#11

Post by joe_the_user »

ambicapter wrote: post #3
elcapitan wrote: post #2

"Popularity" correlates with wealth, wealth correlates with health?

Why don't you read the article?

The article distinguishes between likability and status, sure but the survival statistics come from a huge meta-analysis and the status versus likability distinction comes another set of studies (so it's combining two measurement processes, inherently harder than just using one). Given the overall reproduction crisis in psychology, that it turns out rather few studies are actually reliable, it seems entirely plausible that the average of the survival studies didn't control well for wealth and ended up with sociological factors and the status versus likability question is kind of an irrelevant extra.

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#12

Post by coldtea »

handedness wrote: post #8
coldtea wrote: post #5

> Even some adults appear obsessed with social media, tracking the number of retweets on their Twitter profiles or likes on Facebook "Some"? Where does the writer lives, on Mars?

Yes, some. I have no social media presence, nor do I care to.

That just proves that you don't care -- not that those who care are few (which is a different assertion).

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#13

Post by true_religion »

coldtea wrote: post #12
handedness wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, some. I have no social media presence, nor do I care to.

That just proves that you don't care -- not that those who care are few (which is a different assertion).

Some is an indeterminate amount. It can be anything from 1 to Infinite.

The phrase "some X" does not connote that X are few, or many, merely that they are existent.

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#15

Post by horsawlarway »

coldtea wrote: post #12
handedness wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, some. I have no social media presence, nor do I care to.

That just proves that you don't care -- not that those who care are few (which is a different assertion).

Let me just remind you... since you sound like you care a lot/spend a lot of time on those services: if you're on those services you're encouraged to interact with other people who also care a lot/spend a lot of time on those services.

You're self selecting for a group that re-enforces your opinion.

As of 2016, only ~70 percent of adults in the US use facebook. Of those 70%, ~25% use it once a week or less.

Those who don't care are MANY (probably most).

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#16

Post by ianamartin »

I find it problematic that the only controls consistently accounted for are age, sex, and race.

I think they are making too big a claim, and they would've generated a more useful insight if they were controlling for pathological behaviors as well.

Are popular alcoholics likely to live longer? How about popular obese people? Is there, perhaps, a causal relation between being isolated/unpopular and pathological behaviors?

The study itself (the pnas source--and by the way, thanks to the NY Times for linking to the source) smacks of p-value fishing combined with making the most grandiose claim you can based on those p-values.

I'm not saying the paper is wrong in a mathematically provable way or that it couldn't be replicated. I'm saying that it isn't science that is meaningful or useful. It strikes me as resume-driven science.

Scientific click-bait.

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#18

Post by gaius »

elcapitan wrote: post #2

"Popularity" correlates with wealth, wealth correlates with health?

wealth correlates with health?

Except it doesn't! Why? Because the hidden variable is that wealthier people tend to be older! So you can easily construct a "proof" that the wealthier you are the more likely you are to die in the next few years...

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#19

Post by ThrustVectoring »

true_religion wrote: post #7

It's true. Most of my popularity comes from outliving my enemies. But in all seriousness, I am intrigued with the idea that merely by being popular, it will affect your DNA and turn on genes that correlate good health.

Causality is likely backwards. People who are damaged by their environment or by getting unfortunate genetics end up both becoming unpopular and lowering their life expectancy. IQ is likely also correlated for the same reason to both.

Re: Popular People Live Longer

#20

Post by tpeo »

coldtea wrote: post #12
handedness wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yes, some. I have no social media presence, nor do I care to.

That just proves that you don't care -- not that those who care are few (which is a different assertion).

I second true_religion's comment. "Some" here stands merely for an undefined non-zero quantity.
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