Google Health Records No Longer, Socializing is Genetic, and Other News Items
Contra Orszag: Google is ending its on-line health records service.
How much we socialize is genetic.
Unhappy nurses: 25% of registered nurses (RNs) will seek a new place of employment in 2011 because of job dissatisfaction.
Pain Costs U.S. $635 Billion a Year. That’s more than $6,000 per household per year.
E-prescribing result is more bad news for Obama Care.
The link between genetics and socialization is interesting. It’s not really surprising, since it seems like just about everything about us is influenced by genetics to some degree or another, but it’s still very interesting. I wonder if somebody will try to develop/market a gene therapy of some sort to “make your child more sociable.”
It is interesting how much of our behavior is influenced by genetics; and how much of success in life is associated with behavior and socialization. Kennedy is correct. If medical science routinely attempts to alter brain chemistry to alleviate suffering from depression and schizophrenia, why not take a pill that makes you a better salesman?
For that matter, why not take a pill that makes you a more attentive husband and one that makes you a more nurturing wife?
I knew the doctors were unhappy. I had no idea there were so many unhappy nurses.
@Devon: I actually was reading about that in one of the early books written about Prosac. The author’s premise is that there is a large range of variability in human behaviors, but people take Prosac to become more socially-acceptable, even though they may not have clinical symptoms of actual depression. His examples were musicians “chipping” Prosac to help give them an edge on stage.
The philosophical implication is that the range of personalities will narrow as we become more inclined to take pills to change our natural tendencies.
I have recently become more aware of how much of our personality is shaped by our genetic and biological basis. I’m not sure how I feel about taking pills to alter that. I suppose it depends on the side effects and the reason for taking them.
The issue would be further complicated if researchers were able to develop pills that would produce temporary, highly specific alterations in our personalities and desires. For example, a pill that would last roughly an hour and give us the intense desire to work out.