Risky Business: Health Risk, Relativity, and Perception

Smoking kills. But you knew that already. So does second-hand smoke. Inhaling a smoker’s exhalations can cause heart disease and cancer. But now it turns out that just watching other people smoke is dangerous, especially if those other people are movie stars inhaling on the big screen (in their inimitably attractive ways). Researchers reviewing the…

Religious belief has many health benefits. For some people, religious belief reduces existential angst, the reduction in stress leading to lower blood pressure and a stronger immune system. For others, religious belief gives their lives purpose, that purpose motivating them in ways that improve their health. And of course, sometimes religious belief is associated with…