Excess Correlation Linked To Claims Of Causation Without Proof
from the correlation-and-causation dept
Over on Dr. Sanjay Gupta's CNN blog, there's a report claiming that excess gaming is linked to depression and bad grades, with the report clearly suggesting that those "addicted" to gaming get depressed and do poorly. It even trots out the old silly argument about making "video game addiction" an official disorder. But, of course, the study is really only showing a correlation between these things, rather than any sort of causal relationship. One could just as plausibly argue that depressed kids choose to deal with or mask their depression by playing more video games. But, I guess headlines that say "depression causes kids to play more video games" isn't as catchy as assuming it's the other way around. Those who have worked with compulsive video gamers have found that there's almost always a separate cause, and treating the problem as "video game addiction," rather than figuring out why the person wants to play so much, tends not to work.Thank you for reading this Techdirt post. With so many things competing for everyone’s attention these days, we really appreciate you giving us your time. We work hard every day to put quality content out there for our community.
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Filed Under: addiction, correlation, depression, video games
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Re: Agreed
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Re: Re: Agreed
Then we casually comment “Of course, I nearly flunked Calculus in school and my best friend DID get an F, and I lost my girlfriend when the WoW expansion came out, and I got in trouble at work just last week for reading message boards. But violence? HA!”
I will admit that computer games are my heroin. They are the perfect escape in which I seem to be awake and thinking, but I am actually lost in a dream world. They give me the illusion of success, an illusion so compelling that I can’t shake it off. “Well, you didn’t get that promotion at work” my brain says to me, “but you DID get your archmage to level 20! What a productive day!”
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Re: Re: Re: Agreed
some games are actually hard and worth playing
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Re:
"Depressed people sleep more. Sleeping leads to more depression. Therefore, depressed people shouldn't be allowed to sleep." I think we should write that into law.
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Re: Re:
100% of depressed people eat.
Eating causes depression.
We should take food away from all depressed people.
This one actually works since it would reduced the number of depressed people to zero in about a week.
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You are clearly not thinking of the children.
Since eating causes depression, we should take food away from everyone.Then our children will inherit a world free of depression.
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Well, if depression came "first" in this feedback cycle, then removing games should not be expected to lead to a resolution of the depression (eg, get sunshine or socialize).
It might lead to a resolution (eg, now I have some experiences to share in social contexts where I failed before), in which case we can thank gaming, or it might lead to looking for another escape that won't resolve the depression and might do more harm (eg, drug abuse).
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Or drugs and alcohol abuse, but your idea is good too.
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Oh, and drink coffee, too!
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I still think it's a great moral panic!
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/s
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Addicted to Work
Working overtime should be outlawed.
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Re: Addicted to Work
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I do have to say mike does this sometimes, but so does everyone else. People see things as through the filter of what they believe. You are no different, after all you attached a label to it, the "Masnick Effect", which shows your belief.
Also ... is it my imaginiation or are the titles of these stories getting more tabloidish recently?
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The "Masnick Effect" is just a nice parody of the silly "Streisand Effect". Proof if nothing else that cause and effect often come from the same place.
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Mike is sometime guilty of that. Agiain we all are. In the case of this article. Its a combination of both Correlation, and Causation. Where depression causes the escapism and gaming, and there is a correlation between the loss of friends due to gaming and depression. Its a gray area that is case dependent. So both titles hold ...
"Gaming causes depression" and "Depression causes gaming"
Also do you want to see the cat in a box my uncle schrodinger left me? :)
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"Masnick Effect." LOL! I like that.
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Let this "correlation" serve as a warning
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Treating Addiction
The Cabin Chiang Mai is Thailand’s leading drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. The Cabin Chiang Mai was founded to provide high quality affordable drug and alcohol rehab treatment to addicts worldwide. Our rehab center is located on the enchanting banks of the Mae Ping River just outside of Chiang Mai in the north of Thailand. Surrounded by the lush green forests and flower gardens of Thailand, our addiction rehab treatment center provides our patients with a peaceful and restorative environment where they can heal their addictions and take back their lives.
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Another possible cause ...
Remember when Gupta failed to correct the error that "embryos aren't fertilized?" http://newsbusters.org/blogs/matthew-balan/2009/03/12/cnns-gupta-fails-correct-bill-clinton-s-multip le-fertilized-gaffe
Gupta's junk science is caused by an excess of political correctness. Now that's cause and effect.
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thoughtless
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