3 ms·
Correlation does not imply causation. The paragraph stating that the “finding was independent of other factors” doesn’t really inspire confidence, there are cou
by htk 7y ago
Correlation does not imply causation. The paragraph stating that the “finding was independent of other factors” doesn’t really inspire confidence, there are countless factors that might impact the results.
- bad_user 7y agoCohort studies cannot show causation, indeed, but that's not very relevant for what's being claimed. And what they are saying with "finding was independent of other factors" is that they adjusted for demographics and health conditions. Yes, there are countless factors that could impact the results, the adjustments are not perfect, but cohorts are useful clues and in the large scheme of things, if you are optimistic, this shows you have a higher likelihood to live longer.
- htk 7y agoI might have read too much into it, but it’s easy for readers to extrapolate to “if you become more optimistic you’ll live longer”. A parallel would be to read “people who wear XXL are more likely to be fat”, where forcing to wear a smaller size won’t make them thinner.