Main | Dredging up that old painful stuff (or not) »

Is your case really hopeless? Or did you make that part up?

Oh happy day! I turned on my computer this morning and scanned the news headlines, as I've become accustomed to doing. (Yes, I scanned the local paper, too. So I'm a news hog...)

Turns out there was some grand research released recently that tells us something we already new. I love it when that happens!

According to a statement from the Center for Consumer Insights at Yale (notice this study was done by marketing folks, not health folks), people are less likely to seek information about their health status if they believe their condition is untreatable.

Of course this makes sense, doesn't it? It sure does to me. Why would you waste your time reading, "googling," or talking about something that cannot be changed? You wouldn't. It would be a waste of your time and energy, which would be better spent on things you can do something about.

Absolute no-brainer.

The problem with this?

Equally obvious. Who's to say your situation is hopeless. You?

I hate to tell you, but in most cases you won't be the most objective source of information on your own stuff. This is where the researchers did themselves proud.

You see, they told a bunch of participants that they were at risk for some relatively innocuous health condition. They told half of 'em that there was something to be done about it and the other half that there wasn't. The half that was told their condition was hopeless didn't even do so much as read the brochure. Of course not. Why waste their time?

But you see the flaw in their logic, don't you? Half of the participants based their decision on whether to take action or not on a lie. It was their belief that drove the bus, so to speak, not the truth of the situation.

I love it!

That's why not too long ago I wrote and posted an article about just that subject on my www.wordcures.com website. Check it out here: Knowledge Is Power.

The moral is quick and easy. Check your facts before you hang it up. The concern you thought was so hopeless may have a ready solution you don't know about.

Have a healthy day-
Elizabeth

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Elizabeth Eckert, Healthy Living & Wellness Coach

Elizabeth Eckert, PhD

I enjoy observing human nature and helping people be healthy. I'm author of Word Cures and creator of the WordCures.com healthy living website. (more)

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Note: The information and ideas offered here are personal opinions of a general nature. No opinion posted here constitutes medical advice, either general or personal. If you have a health concern, please consult with your medical doctor and follow his or her advice. The author disclaims responsibility for any misuse or misinterpretation of any opinion posted here.

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