Last week, it was reported that frequent shopping by men and women increases the life expectancy of people in Taiwan.
This is undoubtedly great news for shopoholics but before you rush out to the nearest mall in an effort to boost the length of your life know that it is not true.
Although the scientific study was picked up by many media sources, both the scientists making the claim and the reporters who wrote about it made the common mistake of confusing cause and effect.
To understand why the study is untrue all a person needs to do is view the situation from a different perspective. In this case, it should have occurred to the scientists that ill-health prevents shopping. In other words, if you are sick or bed-ridden it's a whole lot more difficult to go shopping frequently.
Interested in a way that shopping really can save you money? Check out this older post by Jack Uldrich:
