Individuals with genetic conditions twice as likely to report health insurance denial

A new study published in the February 2007 issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics reveals that individuals with genetic conditions are twice as likely to report having been denied health insurance than individuals with other chronic illnesses. The Johns Hopkins University study also found that nearly 60 percent of all study participants believe a health insurance company can obtain medical information about them without their permission. Researchers conducted in-depth, personal interviews of 597 adults for the project, believed to be the first large-scale study to systematically compare and contrast the health insurance experiences, attitudes, and beliefs of persons with genetic conditions versus individuals with other serious medical conditions. Respondents (or their children) had sickle cell disease, cystic fibrosis, breast cancer, colon cancer, diabetes, or HIV. more  

Happy endings aren't always best

Advertisements for financial planning services and medications often employ mixed emotions in their advertising. They may begin by raising concern about one’s future and end in vignettes evoking positive emotions. Or they may start with strong, positive feelings and then induce worry. Does it matter which sequence of emotions advertisers apply in their messages? more

Ambivalent about who to vote for? You're more likely to be persuaded by a disreputable source

In the first study to propose a model for how information is processed by people with differing levels of ambivalence, researchers from Columbia University and Austral University in Argentina find that ambivalent people are more likely to be persuaded by disreputable sources. Those who are strong in their opinions are more likely to evaluate the reliability of the message’s source before deciding whether to accept it. more  

Being around friends can impair your memory

You’re watching a basketball game with some buddies and decide to order pizza during the commercial. Researchers from Indiana University found that people in a group setting exposed to brand information – such as an ad for Pizza Hut -- have a hard time recalling the brand’s competitors. In other words, being around friends when deciding where to order takeout might cause you to forget completely about that local pizza place you’ve been wanting to try. more

The power of love -- When it comes to taste, we value similarities more than differences  

Whose tastes do you trust more? The person who loves the same things you love? Or the person who hates the same things you hate? Turns out, when we’re looking for advice, positivity reigns. A new study reveals that we trust those who love the same things we love more than those who hate the same things we hate. As the researchers explain in the March issue of the Journal of Consumer Research, "There are few ways that products are loved, but many ways that they are hated." more

Surgeons develop simpler way to cure atrial fibrillation  

Physicians have an effective new option for treating atrial fibrillation, a common irregular heart rhythm that can cause stroke. Heart surgeons at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have developed and tested a device that radically shortens and simplifies a complex surgical procedure that has had the best long-term cure rate for persistent atrial fibrillation. more

Study finds people underestimate power of drug cravings

A novel experiment conducted by Carnegie Mellon University Professor George Loewenstein and colleagues may explain why people try a drug, such as heroin, for the first time despite ample evidence that it is addictive. The results of the study, which are being published in the Journal of Health Economics, reveal that even longtime addicts underestimate the influence that drug cravings have over their behavior. more

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