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April 10, 2009

Strange But True!

Q. What's the most blessed gift any of us can receive, as do thousands of folks for their birthday every year?

A. Extra days of life on planet Earth, say Mitsuru Shimizu and Brett Pelham in “Basic and Applied Social Psychology.” When they studied details surrounding 30 million deaths over the years, they found that people were less likely to die right before their birthday or before Thanksgiving or Christmas or New Year's Day than on days just after the events, presumably due to some sort of “death-deferral effect.” Many people seem able to muster the “will to live” a little longer in order to reach these milestones or strong family-connected days. Regarding the milestone effect, the authors explain, people are actually a little more likely to die ON THE DAY of their birthday or on New Year's Day, as if attaining these targeted goals triggers a “letting go” process, as happened around the world at the start of the new millennium. The Christmas and birthday phenomena are especially strong for children, who obviously feel the coming of these special days to the deepest degree.


 
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