Results
of a study carried out by Danish researchers from the University of
Copenhagen's department of public health and led by Dr Rikke Lund,
has appeared recently in a journal; Journal of Epidemiology and
Community Health. The study known as “The Danish Longitudinal
Study on Work, Unemployment and Health,” was first taken up in year
2000. Investigators had enrolled then nearly 10,000 Danes aged 36 to
52 in a long-term study about their health and lifestyle, and have
followed them for the next 11 years. In this period, 4 percent of the
women participants, and 6 percent of the men had died.
I do
not see anything abnormal in this percentage of deaths. However the
conclusions drawn by the researchers appear to me bit strange; if I
try to compare these with my own experiences and what I have seen in
my life. Here are some of the observations from this report:
“ The
study found that frequent worries or demands generated by partners
and children were linked to a 50%-100% increased risk of death from
all causes. Being out of work seemed to increase the negative impact
of stressful social relationships. Those who were unemployed were at
significantly greater risk of death from any cause than those who had
a job, the study said. Men seemed to be particularly vulnerable to
the worries and demands generated by their female partners or
children, with a higher risk of death than that normally associated
with being a man.” The
report also says:
“Those
who had reported they argued frequently with anyone in their social
circle, from partners and relatives to friends and neighbors, were
between two and three times more likely to die from any cause
compared with counterparts who had said these incidents were rare.”
Let me
narrate to you few of my experiences of certain families or whatever
remains of them now, over last four decades at least. To start with,
here is a family, which started as husband,wife and later a son. From
the day they got married, the couple fought with each other almost
over any subject, including whether they should have a baby, when the
wife conceived. The situation became so unbearable for them that
there was a serious talk of divorce. Somehow there was a
rapprochement and the couple stayed together continuing their daily
fights. The son grew, got married eventually with someone the parents
did not approve. So instead of two, now there were four partners
arguing and fighting over all kinds of issues. What is the family
status today? There are two grandchildren enlarging the family size
to six. The group continues to have strange relationships with one of
the members not communicating with another particular member of the
family at all. Yet to all external appearances, this family seems to
be doing extremely well with signs of affluence and most important of
all, they all appear to be healthy.
Let me
tell you about another family, where the husband loved his drink.
This was the first and foremost reason for the arguments between
himself and his wife. Two children came out of the wedlock. The
husband eventually became a successful businessman. As his personal
wealth grew, his consumption of alcohol also increased. Soon he
became an alcoholic, yet he never lost his business sense and kept
making his millions. Later a wrong business move turned his business
empire to ashes. Yet the family life continued all along with daily
bickering, fights and quarrels. The sons grew and started their own
life. The man died when he was about 70 years old, not because of any
heart trouble or anything like that. His consumption of alcohol had
finished off his liver.
I had
a relative, who would flare up at slightest provocation and was very
short tempered. His most favourite subject was politics and would
argue with great passion with anyone for any length of time about
misdoings of politicians. He was also very frank and never felt
slightest hesitation in calling a spade a spade. This man died an
year ago at a ripe age of 93 and was one of the fittest persons I
have ever seen. He had no ailments like diabetes or high BP even.
Another argumentative old grandma of mine died, when she was 90.
During last 10 years of her life, I had seen her living alone almost
like a hermit, as everyone else avoided her. But the point is that
she still survived to live a long life.
All
these example would show that temperament of a person probably has
nothing do with his life span. Speaking in lighter vein, if
temperament was related to life span, most of the India's
politicians, who keep arguing and discussing things for hours and
hours should have left this world in their middle ages only. However
they all seem to be doing well even in their seventies and eighties.
TV anchors, political commentators spend hours arguing things every
day on television. They all seem to lead a normal healthy life
otherwise.
I am
not an expert on public health and can not contradict, University of
Copenhagen's department of public health's study. But from whatever
little I have experienced in last 70 years , my feeling is that our
life spans are determined by our DNA and good habits. If we have
healthy habits and longevity in our genes, we are likely to remain
here for many number of years. The only problems faced by the
persons who argue frequently, with anyone in their social circle,
from partners and relatives to friends and neighbors, would be that
they would find that they are mostly avoided and shunned by other
people whom they know.
12th
May 2014
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