Washington, March 18 (IANS) Feeling edgy or upset for
no apparent reason, you Google your symptoms. It turns out to be nothing
serious and your fears are unfounded. More than 60 percent of Americans
get their health information online, and a majority of those decide
whether to see a doctor based on what they find, a study reveals.
"Wow,
this is an era of self-diagnosis," thought Arizona State University
psychologist Virginia Kwan, learning that statistic. How might
information accessed online affect individual health decisions?
Kwan
and colleagues found that the way information is
presented-specifically, the order in which symptoms are listed-makes a
significant difference, the journal Psychological Science reported.
"People
irrationally infer more meanings from a 'streak'"- an uninterrupted
series whether of high rolls of the dice or disease symptoms of
consecutively reported symptoms. If they check off more symptoms in a
row, the research found, "they perceive a higher personal risk of having
that illness," said Kwan, according to a university statement.
The
findings could prove useful for public health education, Kwan said:
"With certain types of illnesses, people tend to seek medical attention
at the latest stage."
Meanwhile, "People also go to doctors asking all the time about illnesses that are very rare," added Kwan.