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"A research paper published in the Journal of Affective Disorder in 2013 (four years after the first lights were installed) found that there was an 84 percent d
by fiatjaf 11y ago
"A research paper published in the Journal of Affective Disorder in 2013 (four years after the first lights were installed) found that there was an 84 percent decrease in suicides at stations with the blue lights. The exact reason why the lights are effective isn’t known, but some researchers theorize that it’s related to the apparent positive effect of light on mood. A recent study led by Hiroshi Kadotani, from Shiga University of Medical Science found there was an “increased proportion of railway suicide attempts after several days without sunlight,” based on 971 suicides or attempted suicides in Tokyo between 2002 and 2006."
So they don't know how blue lights do anything. The title of the article is totally misleading.
- chillingeffect 11y ago> So they don't know how Along with the shift in meaning of "literally," another major shift in language is occurring w/r/t to the use of "How." Often these days, you can substitute "How" with "That." For example, in this article, it's not about "How the lights helped people." It's more like "That the lights helped people." I'm not trying to say you're wrong or that I like this practice. All I'm saying is it's part of a bigger trend.
- dragonwriter 11y ago> Along with the shift in meaning of "literally," another major shift in language is occurring w/r/t to the use of "How." > Often these days, you can substitute "How" with "That." Not really; the uses of "how" -- which aren't really substitutes for "that" -- that don't address a mechanism by which an effect is achieved but either the manner in which it manifests or the degree to which it manifests (the latter being essentially the same as phrase "how much", though the "much" is often left out) are both centuries old and in continuous, common use. The article is not about merely "That the lights reduce suicide" but "How [much] the lights reduce suicide". Which is a long-established, not novel, use of "How", despite being distinct from another potential meaning of "how", "By what mechanism did the lights reduce suicide."
- ggchappell 11y ago> So they don't know how blue lights do anything. It appears that they also don't know whether the blue lights prevent suicides, or merely relocate them to somewhere besides train stations. Regardless, reducing the number of suicides in train stations is not a bad goal ... > Part of the reason the city concentrates its efforts here is because such “human accidents” are costly and can disrupt tens of thousands of passengers for up to an hour, weekly or even daily. ... but it is not really a goal that is motivated by concern for the people who might kill themselves.
- jchrisa 11y agoI have a http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00M3SGD4Y/ blue light in my office to use around noon in wintertime it has a powerful effect. Using it too early in the morning can throw your circadian rhythm so maybe lunch is the best time.
- _asdf_asdf 11y agoIf all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective.
- Jtsummers 11y ago> If all this were generally true of blue light, then a television monitor tuned to an all-blue channel would be just as effective. If it hits the same frequencies. The frequency of the light is important here, because our body/eyes pick up on and react differently to, well, different frequencies. Just because we perceive two lights as producing the same color does not mean that we will get the same reaction, physiologically, from both of them.
- db48x 11y agoAn "all-blue" channel is an artifact of your television. Modern televisions put up a solid color rather than snow when they fail to detect a carrier wave on the chosen channel.
- 11y ago
- a3n 11y agoMaybe a better title would have left off the initial word "How."