Article 7 steps to junk science + Lies of Alzheimer's science + Myth of loneliness epidemic

[C C]

7 steps to junk science that can achieve worldly success
https://statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2...17/7steps/

EXCERPTS: More than a decade after the earthquake that was the replication crisis (for some background, see my article with Simine Vazire, Why did it take so many decades for the behavioral sciences to develop a sense of crisis around methodology and replication?), it is frustrating to see junk science still being published, promoted, and celebrated, even within psychology, the field that was at the epicenter of the crisis.

[...] this got me thinking about what it takes for researchers to put together a successful work of junk science in the modern era, which is the subject of today’s post. Before going on, let me emphasize that [...] you can do bad science without being a bad person, and without committing what would usually be called research misconduct...

[...] So here they are, 7 things that allow junk science to thrive... (MORE - details)

---

The devastating legacy of lies in Alzheimer’s science
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/24/opinion/alzheimers-fraud-cure.html?unlocked_article_code=1.sE4.AxhV.VwDTzEorqSeN&smid=url-share

EXCERPTS: Over the past 25 years, Alzheimer’s research has suffered a litany of ostensible fraud and other misconduct by world-famous researchers and obscure scientists alike, all trying to ascend in a brutally competitive field. During years of investigative reporting, I’ve uncovered many such cases, including several detailed for the first time in my forthcoming book.

[...] Collectively, the experts identified nearly 600 dubious papers from the group that have distorted the field — papers having been cited some 80,000 times in the scientific literature. Many of the most respected Alzheimer’s scholars — whose work steers the scientific discourse — repeatedly referred to those tainted studies to support their own ideas. This has compromised the field’s established base of knowledge... (MORE - details)

---

The Myth of a Loneliness Epidemic
https://www.yahoo.com/news/myth-loneline...00776.html

INTRO: No one would blame you for thinking that we’re in the midst of an unprecedented global loneliness emergency. The United Kingdom and Japan have named “loneliness ministers” to tackle the problem. In 2023, the World Health Organization declared loneliness a pressing public-health concern, and then-President Joe Biden’s surgeon general, Vivek Murthy, issued an advisory warning about an “epidemic of loneliness.” American commentators have painted a bleak portrait of a nation collapsing into ever more distant and despairing silos. And polls do suggest that a lot of people are lonely—some of the time, at least. But a close look at the data indicates that loneliness may not be any worse now than it has been for much of history... (MORE - details)

[Magical Realist]

Overall I'd say that an enigmatic quality like loneliness is almost impossible to quantitatively measure in a society. Most people will not easily admit to being lonely as in our extraverted culture it is generally looked down on as somewhat defeatist and pathetic. Others may not even know they are lonely, going out regularly with friends and to social outings but remaining alone in their own private lives. As Gillian Flynn put it in "Gone Girl": “...and you drink a little too much and try a little too hard. And you go home to a cold bed and think, 'That was fine'. And your life is a long line of fine.” Others still may lead isolated almost monastic lives, but actually much prefer this as opposed to putting up with all the drama and bothersome entanglements of social relationships. But hey, articles that shockingly claim to debunk widely held views as "the myth of" definitely sell magazines and boost online subscriptions, that's for sure.