Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Health stories: Unhappy Mondays?

We're all familiar with the scenario - the alarm clock goes off, we wake up and think "oh no, it's Monday". After a few seconds of forlornly wondering where the weekend went and why did it have to pass so fast, we get up and we get on with it. And so another week starts.

But it looks like the widely held opinion that Monday is a low point in the week could actually be not entirely accurate after all. A new report published in The Journal of Positive Psychology on the subject of 'day of the week effects' suggests that there are other days when we don't feel to great either - those being Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday.

The study does however suggest that there is a positive Friday effect but no difference in mood between Saturdays and Sundays.

In other news, it's been predicted that the rate of cancer in people over the age of 65 could treble by the year 2040 - a rise to 23%. According to NHS Choices, though, we should remember that "the figures are only predictions and have been calculated based on estimates and assumptions". Given that cancer generally affects more people of more advanced years and the population is ageing, it does seem plausible that the figures will rise. Some are arguing that the numbers could put a strain on the health service while there could also potentially be higher uptake of medical insurance as a result.

Another point the NHS choices site makes is that given futire advancements in technology for treatment are uncertain, predicting the future is never easy.



No comments:

Post a Comment