10.

What you believe affects your life expectancy

Researchers in San Diego examined the death records of almost 30,000 Chinese-Americans and
compared them to over 400,000 randomly selected white people.
What they found was that Chinese-Americans, but not whites, die significantly earlier than
normal (by as much as 5 years) if they have a combination of disease and birth year which
Chinese astrology and Chinese medicine consider ill-fated.
The researchers found that the more strongly the Chinese-Americans attached to traditional
Chinese traditions, the earlier they died.
When they examined the data, they concluded that the reduction in life expectancy could not be
explained by genetic factors, the lifestyle choices or behavior of the patient, the skill of the
doctor, or any other variable.
Why did the Chinese-Americans die younger? The researchers concluded that they die younger
not because they have Chinese genes, but because they have Chinese beliefs.
They believe they will die younger because the stars have hexed them. And their negative belief
manifests as a shorter life.