Dr. Obvious, PhD

Katherine Mangu-Ward | January 25, 2007

Drudge links to this study in the Journal of Affective Disorders with the teaser "Global Warming Linked to 'Enhanced Risk of Suicide'..."

While I love Drudge's shamelessly inaccurate tags as much as the next gal, this is too much. Here's the main finding:

For males, increasing anomalies in monthly average temperatures associated to a higher monthly suicide mean from May to August and, to a lower extent, in November and December. In January, on the other hand, increasing anomalies in monthly average temperatures appeared to be coupled to a lower number of suicides. For females, the links between temperature and suicides are less consistent than for males, and sometimes have a reverse sign, too.

In short, really long, hot summers make some guys a little nuts, and warmer winters make people a little happier. Plus, the data set is composed solely of Italians, a notoriously emotionally unstable people.

For my take on another dumb study on suicide rates--conservative governments apparently make Brits suicidal--go here.

Comments

Nigel Powers|1.25.07 @ 5:01PM|#

Plus, the data set is composed solely of Italians, a notoriously emotionally unstable people.

If there's anything I hate, it's racists. And the Dutch.

|1.25.07 @ 5:03PM|#

Re: The second link

So conservative governments tend to weed out the emotionally unstable/suicidal in society.

Is this a bad thing? ; )

Paul|1.25.07 @ 5:06PM|#

Sorry, but Drudge isn't the only one with shamelessly inaccurate tags.

Jonah|1.25.07 @ 5:10PM|#

Ugghh... Drudge... yes, he broke the Clinton / Lewinsky story. Does that mean everyone has to bear his stupid sensationalist headlines for the rest of time? It's reverse alarmism (LOOK at what the hippies are saying now! THOSE CRAZIES!)

|1.25.07 @ 5:31PM|#

Katherine Mangu-Ward wrote:
> In short, really long, hot summers
> make some guys a little nuts, and
> warmer winters make people a little
> happier. Plus, the data set is composed
> solely of Italians, a notoriously
> emotionally unstable people.

In other words, you couldn't be bothered to get a copy of the paper, read it, and give a learned response--you just went with the first thing that popped into your mind. Nothing quantitative, no details or deeper analysis--just rip it and let it go, right?

And you're someone who is paid full-time to do nothing but opine on the world's thoughts?

Sweetheart, you're never going to make it at this rate.....

|1.25.07 @ 5:38PM|#

I'm a loud mouthed asshole, please pay attention to me. Oh, please, please, please.

pigwiggle|1.25.07 @ 5:57PM|#

Wow; this has got to be the most brazen of pimping of GW to push a manuscript yet. Bravo. Reminds me of how the pron websites started to put MP3 in their metatags to draw traffic.

|1.25.07 @ 6:07PM|#

I love the summary of conclusions...

An improvement in the ability of communities to adjust to temperature changes by implementing public health interventions may play an important part in preserving the wellness of the general population, and also in limiting the worst consequences of suicidal behaviour.

I guess that's one conclusion you could draw. You could also draw the conclusion that taxes need to be lowered in Italy so people can use the savings to buy air conditioners.

Russell|1.25.07 @ 7:03PM|#

Stay tuned for a National Geographic special on how shrinking ice fields increase lemmings' temptation to take the plunge.

|1.25.07 @ 7:16PM|#

and also in limiting the worst consequences of suicidal behaviour.

Like what, death? Perhaps only partially succeeding in suicide is worse.
Global warming is neither global nor warming. Discuss.

|1.25.07 @ 7:34PM|#

We need to ban knives in Puerto Rico. Now.
1. It is going to get very hot there.
2. If you think Italians are unstable, wait until you meet a Puerto Rican.
3. My god, they're good with those knives.

This is a catastrophe waiting to happen.

|1.25.07 @ 7:42PM|#

It's *Italy*. Half of Italy is on the Mediterranean ocean and never sees snow, and the other half is in the Alps. It doesn't really make any sense to treat the country as a whole for the purpose of a study on the effects of temperature anomalies.

|1.25.07 @ 8:45PM|#

The other day on NPR I listened to a very interesting story on the exceptionally warm winter in the Northern Hemisphere this year. They had comments from a number of highly respected climate scientists (all of whom have accepted the manmade model of global warming; in other words they are among the accepted "experts" on the subject). All of them stated that this year's warm winter temperatures were due to entirely normal cyclical changes and that none of it or only a tiny portion of it was due to "global warming".

In other words it was just a warm winter. There have been other warm winters and this is another one.

The very next day the talking head on NPR (I don't remember which one) introduced a story by saying "scientists say" that warm winter temperatures in the Swiss Alps are due to "global warming".

So yes, Climate Change may indeed be a threat, but we will never have a good idea of how much of a threat it is until we have some accurate reporting on the issue.

Nathan

Even though half of Italy is on the "Mediterranean ocean[sic*] and never sees snow", it does get quite chilly when the steering currents are bringing air from the North (even occasionally from the steppes of Russia).

*Do you perhaps mean the Mediterranean Sea?

|1.25.07 @ 9:56PM|#

Well, we do have (at least in popular parlance) links between weather and people's reactions. Wasn't it Raymond Chandler who describes the effects of the Santa Ana wind as "when housewives looked at their husbands throats in a different way when holding a carving knife"?

And the effects of the Fuhn and Mistral are notorious in Switzerland/France folklore.

|1.25.07 @ 10:10PM|#

Wasn't it Raymond Chandler who describes the effects of the Santa Ana wind....

Actually I remember my first experience of the Santa Ana at my Grandfather's house in Solana Beach.

If I were of a more literary bent I might be able to convey to you my feelings at the time. Unfortunately I am not so you will just have to settle for the fact that when I walked out the door I felt a weight and a heat the like of which I had never experienced before. But then I was only sixteen years old and hadn't really experienced much of anything at all.

|1.26.07 @ 2:08AM|#

Plus, the data set is composed solely of Italians, a notoriously emotionally unstable people.

You stereotype-a izza no funny! You insult-a my people, I-a smack-a you face! Eyyyyyyy...

Guy Montag|1.26.07 @ 2:21AM|#

notoriously emotionally unstable people

My ass! Malocchio!

|1.26.07 @ 2:42AM|#

"notorious emotionally unstable people"

...with low suicide rates when compared to the US
(11.1 per 100,000 Italian males, versus 17.6 in the US; 3.4 for women, versus 4.1).

Must be the all the Conservative governments you guys keep electing...

|1.26.07 @ 8:55AM|#

Ok look here.. As far as I am concerned I LIKE Cold shitty assed weather... Its winter, its supposed to be cold. When its hot in the summer... ITS SUPPOSED TO BE!!!!!!NO SHIT!
High numeber, by your logic we also ought to ban knives in Kitchens... Its hot in there, Chefs are usually unstable drunkards or high on some sort of drugs and they are good with the knives... Just sayin

|1.26.07 @ 11:26AM|#

Fat man,

Don't be ridiculous. You are disparaging an entire class of people based simply on the writings of Tony Bourdain. My proposal is based on years of ethnic stereotypes and West Side Story.

|1.26.07 @ 9:23PM|#

Sarcasm.. plus years of hands on experience in my previous career as a chef...

|1.27.07 @ 5:00PM|#

Isaac Bartram wrote:
> So yes, Climate Change may indeed be a
> threat, but we will never have a good
> idea of how much of a threat it is
> until we have some accurate reporting
> on the issue.

The real issue is that you can't attribute any particular warm season (or even warm year) to global warming. Climate is the statistical aggregrate of seasonal weather--10 to 20 year chunks. Even in a globally warming world you can have statistically cold seasons, and you can have statistically warm seasons, just as a result of natural variation.

Attributing every blip in the weather to global warming is to fail to understand what global warming really is.

|1.27.07 @ 5:54PM|#

Fat man,

I just don't see how your plan is workable. Chefs need knives. I can't see any way around that. Any ideas?

|1.27.07 @ 9:21PM|#

Yeah I ran into that wall too.