Wondering what that rash is? Anxious about that persistent pain or sudden fatigue? Increasingly, our first visit is to Dr. Google. The wealth of medical information online can be extremely helpful, but it can also induce Web-based hypochondria, or cyberchondria. A study in the April 12 issue of Psychological Science gives some insights into the causes.
Part of the problem is that some of the same symptoms show up in descriptions of fairly benign illnesses as they do for life-threatening diseases. Fatigued? Experiencing shortness of breath? Maybe it's allergies or you're just a bit out of shape. Maybe it's cancer. common cold as they do for cancer. The researchers noted that people reading lists of disease symptoms likely keep a running checklist as they go. Fever? Check. Swollen glands? check. Frequent vomiting? Not so much.
Our minds are pattern-seeking. And so the researchers hypothesized, that people would be more likely to believe they had a disease (in this case thyroid cancer) if the common symptoms were grouped together, rather than alternated with much rarer, specific symptoms (such as a lump in the throat or the neck). Indeed, this was the case.
The study's lead author, Arizona State University psychologist Virginia Kwan, told the Daily Beast that she hopes that the study might lead medical information sites, such as WebMD to be more careful about how they present lists of symptoms.
Part of the problem is that some of the same symptoms show up in descriptions of fairly benign illnesses as they do for life-threatening diseases. Fatigued? Experiencing shortness of breath? Maybe it's allergies or you're just a bit out of shape. Maybe it's cancer. common cold as they do for cancer. The researchers noted that people reading lists of disease symptoms likely keep a running checklist as they go. Fever? Check. Swollen glands? check. Frequent vomiting? Not so much.
Our minds are pattern-seeking. And so the researchers hypothesized, that people would be more likely to believe they had a disease (in this case thyroid cancer) if the common symptoms were grouped together, rather than alternated with much rarer, specific symptoms (such as a lump in the throat or the neck). Indeed, this was the case.
The study's lead author, Arizona State University psychologist Virginia Kwan, told the Daily Beast that she hopes that the study might lead medical information sites, such as WebMD to be more careful about how they present lists of symptoms.
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