COLUMN: Trust science, not infomercials
Have you ever been tempted to buy a product that sounds too good to be true? Did the salesperson quote some piece of scientific literature or rattle off some incredible statistic? Did this evidence provide the security to know it’s proven to work?
There are two types of science: one that generates products, and one that is sought after because of an existing product. Many people are fooled because of this difference. Pick up any women’s magazine and you will find somewhere that chocolate helps with weight loss, improves cognitive ability and has loads of antioxidants; yet, on the next page there will be an advertisement depicting Dove milk chocolate. We’ve all heard that late-night ad selling the latest gadget, pill or procedure that will help you lose 178 pounds.
We’d do anything to be the fit versions of ourselves, except that requires us to get off the couch. So, we listen to a spiel about how that pill works even when we’re sleeping. It’s science, so don’t worry about it; yet, we’re shocked when it causes heart failure. We talk ourselves out of the obvious healthy decisions true science teaches.
Compare this to our logical understanding of vaccinations. We have completely eradicated diseases like polio and small pox. Some people think vaccinations, such as hepatitis A, pose more of a health threat than not, but statistics show the opposite.
All sciences are not created equal. Understand that experiments can be set up with specific results in mind and that good science will design that experiment with the hypothesis in mind. Good science has been peer reviewed by many other scientists and not just backed by a few, wealthy companies. If you don’t believe me, search “high-fructose corn syrup” in Google and compare the top result, an advertisement, to the other top results. This shows an example of science made to promote a product.
Scientific advancements should exist for the betterment of the quality of life stemming from the use of a product which is created from a skilled research and development team, and not for the increase in sales based on a skilled marketing team.
I provide examples related to health and wellness because I am a biochemistry major, but science advertising happens in electronics, the automobile industry and in the beauty industry. While I don’t think we need to be prudent in everything we buy, I do think looking into good science is a valuable practice. Educating ourselves on the reality of science in products we purchase will only fortify faith in those products.
I believe many of us take this research and skew it to fit our lifestyles, instead of observing its true advice by changing old habits. Try to take a before-and-after look at the Atkins diet. For years, the founder spewed out countless articles and had a lot of supporting evidence that this diet worked. However, when many people started developing symptoms of a disease known as Ketosis, the diet decreased in popularity.
This diet was appealing to many, due to the generous amounts of meat it allowed an individual to consume. A little bit of research would show the diet’s negative effects. I think that we are quick to believe unchecked facts that we read in different forms of media and advertising. Take advice distributed through ad campaigns with a grain of salt. If you see the blurb, “research suggests,” or “studies show,” I suggest looking into the product’s validity before accepting its promises as fact. Generally speaking, if an article or an author is cited directly, it’s more likely to be accurate. Besides, at least you will be able to verify the facts. But you knew this, you’re in college.
– Joe Watson sits on ASUSU’s Academic Senate as senator for the College of Science. Comments on his column can be sent to statesmanoffice@aggiemail.usu.edu.