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Re: Personality types & prostate cancer connection
My only comment would be that of all the published studies those linked to personality 'types' are most likely to be weak. I say that because the only way a personality 'type' can be defined is by observation (but can you REALLY tell what another person thinks or feels?) or self-reporting - and how does that work accurately?
So, given that the base data is wobbly to say the least, any conclusions are likely to be equally so.
The other aspect of this kind of study are the so-called proxy measurements that are often used in setting up the studies. These can be really weird at times, especially when animal studies are transferred and extrapolated into human behaviour.
My basic rule on studies is to never believe what you see in the media. This will usually be based on a press release put out by the people who ran the study and who need money somewhere along the line. Get to a good medical abstract of the study and then, if you think THAT makes sense, get hold of a published copy of the study - read it, understand it (and any limitations) and then decide if it is worth taking into consideration in any decision making process. It is also useful to see if a site like The New Prostate Cancer Infolink has commented on any recent studies. Mike Scott who moderates that site and writes the comments has many years of experience (and the correct amount of cynicism) to help understand what is said.
