If we constantly undermine people's perception of well being then surely it stands to reason that these same people are not going to feel very well.

SIRC – Media Watch 22-10-99

The power of positive thought.

A study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health this week has found that wine drinkers believed themselves to be enjoying better health than both beer and spirit drinkers. The researchers analysed the drinking patterns of over 12,000 adults and assessed levels of self-perception of health status, smoking habits, extent of family and social contacts, physical activity levels, weight, and the presence of any chronic disease.

It found that "light (one to two glasses daily) and moderate (three to five glasses daily) wine consumption was associated with around a 35 per cent lower risk of perceived poor health. Drinking more than five glasses a day did not increase the risk of poorer health. But more than three daily drinks of beer or spirits significantly increased the likelihood of being in poorer health." Interestingly, the research cited beer drinkers as being 50 per cent more likely than wine drinkers to consider their health poor, the same figure that it quoted for tee-totallers. Wine drinkers it would appear are more likely to think positively about their health that people who don't actually drink at all. If positive thinking is seen to be beneficial to health you could argue that the reverse could also be true. If we therefore constantly undermine people's perception of well being then surely it stands to reason that these same people are not going to feel very well. Yet another side effect of health scares [see SIRC's original bulletin]