[ RadSafe ] Psychic effects of radiohysteria? (Franz Schoenhofer)

[Stabin, Michael]

> So my question to RADSAFE is, whether there are any investigations known about the psychological effects of the sensational exaggerations of the massmedia and the constant absurd indoctrination with fear for life and health.


Not to my knowledge, either, but this is a study that is badly needed. I have suggested at times over the years that much of the fear and hysteria promoted by some with an agenda for funding low-dose investigations or transmitted (I think more rarely than created) by the media may be responsible for real cases of harmful stress, possibly cancers (I'm not entirely joking here) and other maladies. Someone should fund this. I often complain to my friends about weekly that a new study has appeared that proved something so completely obvious and stupid that it was a crime for it to receive funding while other worthy research is refused for funding. An example (true) - they showed people pictures of other people and fed them drinks over time, and voila, after a few drinks people found the people in the photos more attractive. Anyone who has visited a tavern is familiar with this phenomenon (nicknamed the 'Coyote Ugly' effect). A recent one found that men watching newscasts with attractive female hosts picked up somewhat fewer details about the news presented than those who watched the same newscast with an unattractive female or a male host. No! Really? Even if this were not ridiculously obvious, it still does not warrant funding, what is the value of this information? The idea that Franz suggests needs to be funded. If anyone finds a study, I would be very keen to see it. If anyone thinks it could be funded I would be thrilled to see a joint US-European effort to obtain the data! If we could prove that mass media false hysteria causes cancer, there would be a class action suit that about 4 billion people could join.



Mike

Michael G. Stabin, PhD, CHP
Associate Professor of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Department of Radiology and Radiological Sciences
Vanderbilt University
1161 21st Avenue South
Nashville, TN 37232-2675
Phone (615) 343-4628
Fax   (615) 322-3764
e-mail     michael.g.stabin at vanderbilt.edu
internet   www.doseinfo-radar.com