The costs of health misinformation

+ holidays' effect on the brain; science of holiday spices US Edition - Today's top story: Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here's what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it [View in browser]( US Edition | 13 December 2023 [The Conversation] [The Conversation]( When I was a technology reporter in the mid-1990s when the internet exploded, it was easy to believe that people would become better informed − giving access to the world’s information, the thinking went, would be a boon to people curious to learn about the world. This has turned out to be largely true, but widespread digital connectivity has had a dark side as well: the explosion of misinformation and disinformation. Two stories this week remind us of the harms of false or deliberately misleading content. Boston University public health scholar Monica Wang writes that confidence in vaccines has actually gone down since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, and misinformation continues to spread. She writes that more than 300,000 deaths between January 2021 and April 2022 in the U.S. could have been prevented if those individuals had been vaccinated. Wong also offers advice on how to [navigate the tangle of sources people confront every day]( when making health care decisions. Meanwhile, disinformation researcher H. Colleen Sinclair provides a picture of the many sophisticated [techniques used to mislead people with disinformation](. She, too, offers some tips on how to be vigilant online. “You often look into the things you buy rather than taking the advertising at face value before you hand over your money. This should also go for what information you buy into,” she concludes. On a lighter note, scholar Chip Colwell brings his anthropologist’s eye to gift giving. Why do people give gifts, and why is this practice embedded in so many societies? Parsing the writing of a French anthropologist named Marcel Mauss, Colwell may inspire you to [bring a personal touch to any gift giving you do this year](. Also in this week’s science news: - [How the heart’s electrical system works]( - [Why people have wisdom teeth has to do with ancient past]( - [Rising heat is having cascading effects in the Arctic]( If there’s a subject you’d like our team of science editors to investigate, please reply to this email. Martin LaMonica Director of Editorial Projects and Newsletters Media literacy is more essential than ever. Wanlee Prachyapanaprai/iStock via Getty Images Plus [Health misinformation is rampant on social media – here’s what it does, why it spreads and what people can do about it]( Monica Wang, Boston University Studies show that health misinformation on social media has led to fewer people getting vaccinated and more lives lost to COVID-19 and other life-threatening diseases. Disinformation campaigns use emotional and rhetorical tricks to try to get you to share propaganda and falsehoods. hobo_018/E+ via Getty Images [Disinformation is rampant on social media – a social psychologist explains the tactics used against you]( H. Colleen Sinclair, Louisiana State University Disinformation campaigns often use a set of rhetorical devices that you can learn to spot, like conspiracy narratives, good versus evil framing, and revealed secrets. Gifts are usually given reciprocally. Svetlana_nsk/iStock via Getty Images Plus [What’s the point of giving gifts? An anthropologist explains this ancient part of being human]( Chip Colwell, University of Colorado Denver Presents are about giving, receiving and reciprocating, and how this cycle strengthens relationships. [The holidays and your brain – a neuroscientist explains how to identify and manage your emotions]( Seena Mathew, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor It’s important to identify the root causes of your stress and to find the coping mechanisms that work best for you. [How cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger became the scents of winter holidays, far from their tropical origins]( Serina DeSalvio, Texas A&M University Spices have been prized commodities for centuries. Today, ‘warm’ flavors boost our health and spirits in fall and winter. [Customizing mRNA is easy, and that’s what makes it the next frontier for personalized medicine − a molecular biologist explains]( Angie Hilliker, University of Richmond From COVID-19 vaccines to cancer treatments and beyond, the flexibility of mRNA-based therapies gives them the potential to prevent and treat many types of diseases. [Arctic Report Card 2023: From wildfires to melting sea ice, the warmest summer on record had cascading impacts across the Arctic]( Rick Thoman, University of Alaska Fairbanks; Matthew L. Druckenmiller, University of Colorado Boulder; Twila A. Moon, University of Colorado Boulder The early heat melted snow and warmed rivers, heating up the land and downstream ocean areas. The effects harmed salmon fisheries, melted sea ice and fueled widespread fires. - [What does weight-inclusive health care mean? A dietitian explains what some providers are doing to end weight stigma]( Lauren Butler, Texas State University Research shows that focusing strictly on weight loss is not only ineffective in the long term, it can even be harmful and counterproductive. - [Why dozens of North American bird species are getting new names: Every name tells a story]( Jared Del Rosso, University of Denver What’s in a name? A lot, if you’re an Audubon’s Oriole or a Townsend’s Solitaire. - [When research study materials don’t speak their participants’ language, data can get lost in translation]( Sonia Colina, University of Arizona Translation involves more than just transferring words from one language to another. Better translations of study materials can improve both the diversity of study participants and research results. - [Scientists and space agencies are shooting for the Moon – 5 essential reads on modern lunar missions]( Mary Magnuson, The Conversation Chandrayaan-3’s successful landing on the Moon made 2023 a big year for lunar exploration, and future years will come with even more discoveries. - [Earth may have had all the elements needed for life within it all along − contrary to theories that these elements came from meteorites]( - [How do pacemakers and defibrillators work? A cardiologist explains how they interact with the electrical system of the heart]( - [Why do people have wisdom teeth?]( - [Teens don’t know everything − and those who acknowledge that fact are more eager to learn]( - Like this newsletter? 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