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February 8th, 2012 
FAKE NEWS for the Zionist agenda - Comparing health to others can affect people in unpredictable ways
- Can alter physical health, say researchers
- Review of 30 studies into subject
By
Rob Waugh
Last updated at 3:20 PM on 8th February 2012
Healthy? An analysis of 30 studies found that people who compared their own health to others could suffer effects including depression – and physical changes to health
It’s a natural human impulse for ill people to compare their own health to others with the same disease.
But measuring your own symptoms against others can actually harm your health, say researchers.
An analysis of 30 studies found that people who compared their own health to others could suffer effects including depression – and physical changes to health.
The finding could lead to changes in the way doctors communicate with patients about their illnesses.
‘If you’ve ever looked at another
person and thought, ‘Well, at least I’m doing better than he is,’ or
‘Wow, I wish I could be doing as well as she is,’ you’re not alone,”
said Josh Smyth, professor of of medicine, at Penn State.
‘This phenomenon – first proposed in
the 1950s- is common in daily life. When we’re unsure of how we’re
doing, we can reduce uncertainty by getting information from others.’
‘People with chronic illnesses are particularly likely to compare themselves to others with the same illness.’
The researchers said that people who compare themselves to those who are worse off often find that their spirits lift – and people who compare themselves to better-off patients feel depressed.
But the effect is not predictable.
Other studies showed that people who compared themselves to healthier patients actually did better on physical health measures in response, and felt more hopeful about their ability to improve.
Some people who find themselves ‘better off’ than others also feel sad.
Danielle Arigo of Syracuse University, who helped with the project says, ‘Right now, we know that it can go either way. Someone’s doing better than you are? That can be either inspirational or depressing.
Someone’s doing worse?That can give you some relief, or it can get you thinking about your own situation getting worse in the future.
‘Focusing on similarities between you and people doing well will likely lead to feeling good. Focusing on differences between you and people doing poorly will likely lead to feeling good.’
‘But if you focus on differences between you and someone doing well, or similarities between you and someone doing poorly, you’ll likely feel worse. What people focus on appears to be associated with personality traits, mood and a variety of other factors that are not yet well understood.’
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What about those who haven’t much wrong with them, who should expect the odd ache or pain through ageing, who if they haven’t currently got anything wrong with them, try to find something wrong. On several occasions I have felt torn to end a longstanding friendship but have always given in and so tolerate hours of telephone pre and post mortems about friend’s brothers/sisters who have ailments and surely friend must be in line to have ailment too? Even to the extent of demanding investigations into hyperthetical possibilities of getting ailment etc. Years ago, we called these people hypochondriacs. These days, it seems Drs. are duty bound to make an investigation ‘just in case’. In desperation, in an endeavour to close such tedious conversations (I have enough health issues of my own to combat without discussing them) I proffered….I died yesterday. Strangely friend couldn’t say she had too…..Made me feel better. Hope the message got through.
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Penn State should have been more concerned with the Sandusky’s than the Jones’
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A case of breaking the 10th Commandment: Thou shalt not covet…thy neighbour’s health. It shows that coveting robs you of contentment.
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