Cynical Activities - W
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WINTER
Don't get all carried away with spring fever and start making babies: being born in late winter has been linked to schizophrenia and affective psychosis later in life. And that New Year's Eve clinch isn't a good idea either: children conceived in the winter are more likely to develop a common childhood brain cancer called medulloblastoma. |
WOMAN, BEING A
We were all pretty sure that being a woman in this society couldn't be good for you; and here's the evidence. Women have twice as many mood disorders during their lifetimes as men (and if we all think hard and compare our paychecks, our rape risks, our promotion statistics, and the comments we get as we pass building sites, we can probably figure out a few of the reasons). Women are also more likely to suffer from some diseases (notably autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and myasthenia gravis) and to react adversely to others: compared with men, for example, women with coronary artery disease have significantly lower levels of mental well-being three years after being diagnosed. Women who have heart attacks arrive later at the hospital and are less likely than men to receive appropriate treatment, leading to worse long-term outcomes. And women are less able than men to find their way in unfamiliar places. (They get there faster anyway, though, because they ask directions.) |
WORK
If you're looking for a way to sue your employer (and who isn't?) have we got news for you! Problems at work can be blamed for mood and sleep disturbances, upset stomachs, headaches, cardiovascular disease, musculoskeletal problems, psychological disorders, disruptions in your relationships with family and friends, and susceptibility to diseases such as colorectal cancer. Tell your boss to start being very, very nice to you. |
WORK, NOT HAVING
Surprise, surprise: people don't go on welfare for the good of their health. Being unemployed is strongly correlated with depression, anxiety, poor health, and high death rates. |
WORKING HOURS, LONG
If you live at the office and can't remember what your house looks like in daylight, don't be too pleased with yourself. Compared with men who work seven to nine hours a day, men who work more than eleven hours have double the risk of heart attacks. |
WORKING HOURS, SHORT
On the other hand, you don't need to envy your independently wealthy cousin who checks in at his office twice a week and can't remember his job description, either. Compared with men who work seven to nine hours a day, men who work less than seven hours have triple the risk of heart attacks. |
WORKPLACES
Don't think you can get around this one by working from home. |
WRESTLING
And after all that effort they put into being beautiful: wrestlers are particularly susceptible to boils. |
WRINKLES, NOT HAVING
People with fewer wrinkles in their faces run a greater risk of basal cell carcinoma. You might want to think twice about that face-lift. |
WRITER, BEING A
When you're coming to the end of a book, take a moment to think about the dangers someone faced to bring you that work of art. Writers have an unusually high risk of dying from pulmonary tuberculosis. |
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