The word “natural” is a powerful word that assures people of a product’s safety, even when the product is unsafe, and conversely makes a synthetic product less appealing. In the COVID-19 pandemic, this has led to people rejecting vaccination for the disease. To combat this, Sofia Deleniv, Dan Ariely, and Kelly Peters propose that this fallacy can be used to make vaccines more appealing by saying that they can “stimulate your natural immune response”. Read full article here
Societal Issues
To curb drug deaths, communities turn to Reddit, texts and wastewater
With drug overdose deaths on the rise, authorities are attempting to curb the epidemic by tracking and sharing information in real time. In one unique effort, a nonprofit in New York City is using drug-testing equipment and stamping or marking habits of dealers to identify drug batches that may endanger users. Other approaches are also being used, such as monitoring drug-related chatter on Reddit and analyzing local wastewater for opioid and other drug levels. With the combination of these efforts, researchers hope to put a dent in the opioid crisis and reduce overdose deaths. Read full article here
Merv
June 1, 2023
