Taxing Soft Drinks

In the New York Times there's an article on how the mayor of San Fransisco, Gavin Newsom, has proposed a tax on high fructose soft drinks saying they are play a major role in the obesity epidemic.

This is a poor idea given that high fructose corn syrup can easily be replaced with cane sugar, having little effect on the taste of the beverage, but just as many negative health consequences.

Also, the tax would result in increased revenue for for the state but be of little benefit to the public.

A Mini Essay On Antidepressants And Violence

Interestingly, antidepressants like Prozac, Zoloft, and Paxil have been linked to violent behavior in users. Several studies have verified a connection between antidepressant medication and violent behavior in youth. One involving hamsters found that SSRI's in low doses bind fluoxetine to serotonin through aggression producing receptors. These receptors can produce violent thoughts and behavior when activated.

Also notable in the study is evidence that adults may actually experience violent-inhibiting behavior from taking antidepressants. This is due to the fact that as fluoxetine levels increase, the fluoxetine binds to serotonin through aggression-inhibiting receptors. And since adults are prescribed significantly higher doses then children, the fluoxetine is bound through the violent-inhibiting receptors causing them to experience what could be called "peaceful" behavior.

Strangely enough, rumors through various forms of media have been circulating about how antidepressant medication has played a role in what has apparently become an "epidemic" of shootings and mass murder. One website, SSRI Stories, has an extensive list of cases where violent acts have been committed by individuals on antidepressant medication. The creators of the site, as well as many other activists, seem certain that medication is the cause of violent crime.

These activists fail to take into account the mass desensitization thats been occurring through the popularization of television and movies. According to the book, Big World, Small Screen: The Role of Television in American Society, by the time someone reaches the age of 18 they have seen 8,000 murders and approximately 100,000 acts of violence. With so many people becoming desensitized to violent behavior, it is not surprising that more people have acted out.

Also, these activists have insufficient data to support their claims. Usually, they use lists and not percentage-based data in order to support their arguments. In other words, they do not shown that people on antidepressants have higher rates of homicide than people who are not on antidepressants. This is a serious methodological failure on their part, since you cannot make a conclusion simply based on a list of cases with related events without first proving the events are dependent.

Also notable is that the use of antidepressants has increased significantly since they were first popularized in the 80's, yet violent crime rates have dropped by 60% over the past 25 years. Obviously, if antidepressants are having an effect on violent crime, then it is most likely that their effects are insignificant. Some activists may claim that while crime rates have gone down, it is still possible for crimes induced by antidepressants to go up. However, this is unlikely.

Lastly, it's also important to note that antidepressants are saving the lives of many people already suffering from depression. A recent study by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) showed that after antidepressant treatment, suicide rates drop by at least 50 percent. So even if there were a small number of people who did die from "massacre" shootings caused by antidepressants, many more lives are saved because of emotional assistance from the medication.

As a consequence, antidepressants are actually reducing violence and, therefore, it is not the antidepressants that are the cause of violent crime. Rather, it is individuals who choose to harm innocent people. If anything can be said about antidepressants, it's that they are mitigating the symptoms of depression and preventing what could be a epidemic of suicide.

MyBrainTrainer.com Raises IQ

A few months ago, while doing some IQ research I discovered a web site which claimed it could raise IQ through specialized "brain exercises." I did more research and found a study at the University of Texas claiming that users of the site had, on average, an eight point increase in IQ. Naturally, I was a bit skeptical even after reading about the study since it seemed to be conducted using poor methodology. However, the site was only 9.95 for a three month subscription. After a few weeks of using the site I can honestly say that I feel more responsive and mentally sharper. I would highly recommend this web site to anyone who would like to feel mentally healthier.

On a side note, I have been studying for the LSAT during this time and haven't noticed a large difference in my test scores. This tells me that the LSAT has less to do with IQ then it does other abilities. However, it is most likely that people with higher IQ's develop abilities (i.e. logical reasoning, reading comprehension, etc..) more extensively because they are smarter and enjoy the complexity. I plan on writing more about the LSAT-IQ relationship later in my blog.

Who's Looking At Pornography?

Using the general social survey, I found that educated people are no more likely to look at pornography than are people who are uneducated. Remarkably, people with the very lowest scores on the wordsum (a strong predictor of IQ) had lower rates of porn viewing than did people with higher scores. I suspect this is because people with little or no education cannot afford pornographic materials, therefore leaving them out of the porn market. Also, I found the number of people, overall, who admitted to looking at pornography to be unusually low, at approximately 22%. This is probably because many respondents are unwilling to admit that they have watched porn in the past. The correlation matrix is posted below. I did not include the full table because of its size.

Correlation Matrix
	DEGREE	WORDSUM (IQ)	XMOVIE1
DEGREE	1.00	.41	.03
WORDSUM (IQ)	.41	1.00	-.06
XMOVIE1	.03	-.06	1.00

Cars That Drive You To Work

In the NY Times today is a story on a "Pentagon-sponsored" auto race for cars run strictly by computer:

State of the art in robotics has reached the point where the most sophisticated autonomous vehicles can now drive comfortably and safely on a city course while surrounded by traffic and other obstacles.

In the future we will all have cars with the auto-pilot feature. The only thing preventing us from doing so now is the cost and a few kinks still left in the technology.

It is exciting to know that my morning ride to work could be spent reading the paper, watching TV, or even getting dressed - for those mornings when I find myself waking up late.

Also, the technology could bring new legal issues to the forefront. In the event there is a crash, will liability go to the to the drivers, or to the manufacture of the auto-pilot technology? The latter option seems like the most possible, which may cause some firms to hesitate in the development of such technologies.

Why Are Kids These Days So Narcissistic?

According to ABC News, rates of Narcissism among young people have increased by 30 percent since the early 80s. Psychologists claim the increase is from too much emphasis on building young people's confidence. Phrases like "your special" are constantly bombarded in the minds of todays youth. What psychologists haven't seemed to think of is the type of living environment kids have grown up in compared to the generations before them. Baby Boomers were usually raised with two or three siblings and parents who had little time to given their kids special attention. Before them, traditionalists (1900-1945) were raised with strict parents and physical punishment for behaving poorly. Todays kids, however, are growing up in separated households leaving them with parents competing for their attention, and child abuse laws that keep parents from "bringing out the belt." Also, the number of siblings the average teenager resides with has decreased significantly, leaving kids with more time for attention from parents and family. All these factors promote self-love. Is it really that kids are being hypnotized into believing their special by parents and the media, or are kids today just growing up in a new, narcissism prone environment?

Good Students Get Cellphones

In the New York times today there is an article on how schools in the NYC public school district are awarding good students with free cell phones and minutes. The plan seems like a bad idea since getting good grades usually takes a significant amount of effort, while getting a job and earning enough money to buy a cell phone would be easier. Even students who are not old enough to legally work may not derive much motivation from the plan. Once a phone is attained, there will be little motivation to keep working for it afterwards. Most importantly, how often does your average 10-year-old use a cell phone anyways? It seems like a Sony Playstation or a PC would be a better motivator since kids tend to prefer electronic toys.