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Testosterone disruption also leads to more mellow behavior. May be violent crime going down is because of the phtalates, PCB and the likes around us.

by trhway 7y ago

astrange 7y ago
It's because we fixed lead pollution. Adding more pollution isn't going to help. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health/ https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposur... That said, I can't think of an easier problem for evolution to solve than this. I'm sure we'll get kids immune to plastic in a few more generations.
- magduf 7y ago
  >It's because we fixed lead pollution. No, that's just a theory about why violent crime has gone down. No one really knows for sure. Someone noticed that crime rates have gone down, and that this correlates with reduced usage of leaded gasoline in North America. Remember also that global warming has been going up over the past few centuries, and this has an inverse correlation with the number of pirates on the high seas. Back in the days of Blackbeard, we didn't have problems with global warming. Does this mean that greatly reducing piracy has caused global warming? Of course not. Correlation does not prove causation. The banning of leaded gasoline might in fact have caused a reduction in violent crime, but it's not proven at this point.
  - astrange 7y ago
    > Someone noticed that crime rates have gone down, and that this correlates with reduced usage of leaded gasoline in North America. …and the rest of the world… and it always happens after lead regulation… and there's a reasonable mechanism… did you read the article? > Correlation does not prove causation. This is a "middle-brow dismissal". Anyway, here's an RCT on lead reduction in children: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20160056 https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20160056
- sdinsn 7y ago
  That's one of the theories. Roe v Wade is another.
  - flukus 7y ago
    The Roe v Wade theory fails to explain similar results internationally, even in areas without legal access to abortion.

Testosterone disruption also leads to more mellow behavior. May be violent crime going down is because of the phtalates, PCB and the likes around us.

by trhway 7y ago

Testosterone disruption also leads to more mellow behavior. May be violent crime going down is because of the phtalates, PCB and the likes around us.

astrange 7y ago

It's because we fixed lead pollution. Adding more pollution isn't going to help. https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposure-gasoline-crime-increase-children-health/ https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/02/lead-exposur... That said, I can't think of an easier problem for evolution to solve than this. I'm sure we'll get kids immune to plastic in a few more generations.

magduf 7y ago
>It's because we fixed lead pollution. No, that's just a theory about why violent crime has gone down. No one really knows for sure. Someone noticed that crime rates have gone down, and that this correlates with reduced usage of leaded gasoline in North America. Remember also that global warming has been going up over the past few centuries, and this has an inverse correlation with the number of pirates on the high seas. Back in the days of Blackbeard, we didn't have problems with global warming. Does this mean that greatly reducing piracy has caused global warming? Of course not. Correlation does not prove causation. The banning of leaded gasoline might in fact have caused a reduction in violent crime, but it's not proven at this point.
- astrange 7y ago
  > Someone noticed that crime rates have gone down, and that this correlates with reduced usage of leaded gasoline in North America. …and the rest of the world… and it always happens after lead regulation… and there's a reasonable mechanism… did you read the article? > Correlation does not prove causation. This is a "middle-brow dismissal". Anyway, here's an RCT on lead reduction in children: https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20160056 https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/app.20160056
sdinsn 7y ago
That's one of the theories. Roe v Wade is another.
- flukus 7y ago
  The Roe v Wade theory fails to explain similar results internationally, even in areas without legal access to abortion.