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I am compelled to believe whatever is written in the article, regardless of how biased and inconclusive the research is.
As far as "normal" goes, I would have to say it is. It's an extremely ill-advised tactic for obtaining accurate information, but I know a lot of people who do this, so I can't say it's weird.
I suggest that in addition to reading the one article, you should look for corroborating information: do multiple sources present the same information? Does the study exist somewhere online? Is it peer reviewed and does it cite sources for each of its claims? You need to be as thorough as possible when it comes to information that matters.
I don't believe such statements unless there's a link to or information about where to check out the actual study: for example, how many people were studied, what were the questions, who carried out they study and most important, who paid for it.
I'll give you one example of a meaningless study: my then cardiologist told me I should stop eating yoghurt because "a study" had shown women who'd had heart attacks and ate yoghurt were more likely to have a second heart attack. I checked it out and it was a study of about 60 women over a short period of time in one of the Scandinavian countries....... yeah right, that's convincing ... NOT. I'm still eating yoghurt and after
8 years I still haven't had a second heart attack.
When assessing research of any kind it's also important to keep in mind the old truism "Correlation is not causation".
A study found that women who frequently partake in unprotected sex have a higher incidence of pregnancy.
... and STDs. There's still no cure for Herpes, or AIDS for that matter.
I once dated some lady who had a Drama infection. She spreads it to everyone she comes into contact with.
I'm assuming this was a short lived relationship. I cant stand a drama infection myself.
She has been married and divorced five times that I know of.
The weird thing though is if you do not know her, she seems real civil and charming. I mean to the point that her charm makes up for her lack of good looks.
But yeah, our on and off relationships, "on" usually lasted right about two weeks.
Lol. I wonder how many reworded posts about that we'll see in the next few weeks.
But there is! We used to think it was just Male and female but we were wrong.
Well, surveys don't lie. I used to think I was male, now I'm not so sure.
Yeah man people think males have dicks but that's not true. If you feel like something you ca be it. Who care if you have a cock and balls? You can still be a woman! You can't do a few things like give birth or breast feed but those aren't really important at all. Like literally nobody cares. Identity is subjective!
Whatever the subject at hand, people tend to use the word "study" pretty loosely. Like a kid with his headphones in and playing video games is "studying" for some big test.
Try to remember that it's often special interest groups that conduct these studies. It's in their best interest and fits their agendas to skew results or outright lie. The racist rag the atlanta star once said that the most common cause of death for black males was homicide by a white cop. The actual numbers say a different story but the article mentioned 'a new study has found'. The atlanta star apparently found one study that said what they needed and ignored 1000 + that said otherwise.
The media reporting on studies that really irks me is when they say doing x or consuming y will result in your chance of death due to some horrible illness increasing by 200%, but if you take the time to do some digging around on the internet to find an academic summary of the study, you find that what that actually means is that your chance of dying _might be_ (in some very particular circumstances) raised from one in a million to two in a million, or something equally ridiculous.
The media always dumbs-down scientific research findings and invariably goes for the click-bait headline.
" you find that what that actually means is that your chance of dying might be (in some very particular circumstances) raised from one in a million to two in a million"
Yeah but it seems to scare people more when they use a figure like 200%. Basically they DO state a fact but leave out the rest of the story.
The funny ones are when they are trying to sell a product like weight loss pills and they have a fake doctor saying, "It really works, I mean it really works!"
Well now, say no more, that is all I needed to hear.
Then they throw in the line about a "proprietary blend". Yeah, THAT means jack shit.
Technically, any person can perform spotty and/or skewed research, write a article about their supposed findings, and then slap the word "study" over the title hoping to convince people of whatever agenda it may support, and/or enrich themselves and gain respect.
Words like "studies" and "statistics" are often used because writers know that they have a connotation of being almost computerized- separate from fallacies and human bias.
And when words that ought to have weight and meaning are often thrown out to give the mere appearance of such, it's safer to consider that they may be manipulative drivel, until you have a solid reason to think otherwise.
Your compulsion to believe articles beginning with "a study found" is illogical, and it's being exploited sometimes. I'm sure you already realize this in some capacity, though. Thankfully, a study found that self-awareness is the first step to recovery.
4 out of 5 dentists recommend toothpaste "A"
Studies have shown that Excedrin works faster than Bayer aspirin
L'oreal mascara makes lashes 60% longer
This is why commercials work, so well... they don't HAVE to be true.
So, it's totally normal to assume what you're reading is accurate, especially if it says something like "a study has found." That said, be aware that one study doesn't mean anything, and always do your homework on the organization that conducted the study - they often have a specific agenda. Also, a great man once said "there are lies, damn lies, and statistics." No where does this truism apply more than in research. Good luck!
A study found that a study found that a study found that study found that study once found that studies are being found.
Source criticism..? Comparing different sources..? Ever heard of those things?
Yes, take anything that the media has to say with a grain of salt. Especially if it comes from CBS, Birmingham university, or these large billionaire sources. They tend to be biased.