About that viral health video

Also: Meet the power couple who won "America's Nobel" [❤️ Donate]( [View in Browser]( October 1, 2024    Hi CommonHealth reader, I was recently scrolling through photos of friends on social media, when a video popped into my feed. It featured a man with white hair and a friendly demeanor who identified himself as a doctor. He said he had a test for aging. What came next lodged firmly in my head for weeks. The video showed three people, apparently members of this man's family, from different generations. Each stood on one foot, bent down and picked up a sock, then an athletic shoe and put them on, even tying the shoelaces, without letting the foot touch the floor. The video disappeared before I could verify whether this man was, in fact, a doctor. I hadn't researched what his "test" purported to show, or whether there was any research behind it. (Google later told me there are many similar "old person test" videos out there, and the idea is mainly about balance, strength and flexibility.) I couldn't stop thinking about the video: Could I do that? Should I try? What if I don't succeed? Am I aging more quickly than I realized? I was spiraling, no doubt about it.  The experience got me thinking about the many health messages we see on social media. They can provide good or bad information, but they all hit with the same force on these platforms. And the stakes may be higher with health advice than other types of content we consume. "The distinguishing factor about health misinformation is that it can have a direct impact on the decisions that you make that impact your wellbeing," said Monica Wang, a public health researcher at Boston University. "It could in some cases be life-threatening - or life-saving.  One example is vaccination. Even before COVID-19, Wang said, there was plenty of misinformation about vaccines, including on social media. Researchers believe it has contributed to an uptick in vaccine hesitancy and the [resurgence of measles]( in places where it was once thought to be eradicated. Other examples common on social media include [spicy food challenges]( fad diets, unregulated supplements and beauty trends. The thing to remember about social media, Wang said, is it exists to get our attention and keep it. That's true for the platforms and for the people posting videos and other content. Dr. Efren Flores, a radiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital and co-author of a paper on [vetting health information sources]( on social media, said the content is often called "snackable," because it comes in small, easy to consume bits.  "You have one minute of information, and somebody will go say whatever they want - either correct or incorrect - but it's easier to engage with that because it's a very small amount of time," he explained. Videos may have a particular advantage, he said, because they engage multiple senses. The viewer hears information while seeing images and reading captions. What's more, the stories are often personal and relatable, and evoke emotions.  "It feels like they're talking to you," Flores said.  All of this increases the likelihood you will share the post. And it helps explain why these messages stick, because emotional memory "creates images and stamps in your brain," said Dr. Gladys Pachas, the leader of an effort at Mass General, which Flores is part of, to combat health misinformation in Spanish-speaking communities. "If it makes you feel sad, you're going to remember that video," Pachas said. "If it makes you feel very happy, it's going to make you remember that video." Pachas, Flores and their colleagues work to dispel health myths by posting on social media, and appearing on traditional media and at in-person events. Their program, CONECTAR, began during the COVID pandemic, when they realized working for a prestigious medical institution did not guarantee people's trust. "Credible and trusted are different," Flores said.  Health misinformation on social media is likely to continue evolving, according to Wang, because it's tied to products and services that generate profits - things like medicines, exercise routines, foods and other goods. So, verifying the information you see is key. [Click here for six tips]( on how to vet health claims on social media. P.S.- WBUR is here right now thanks to thousands of listeners who have given money voluntarily over the past several decades. During our fall fundraiser, we're asking you to join them. [Start a monthly contribution today](. It's easy to do, and it helps ensure a strong future for this newsletter and all the journalism you rely on from WBUR. Elisabeth Harrison Managing Editor For News Content This Week's Must Reads ['America's Nobel' goes to a power couple who made a startling discovery about HIV]( This year's Lasker Prize for public service goes to South African researchers Salim and Quarraisha Abdool-Karim. The married couple made a startling discovery about HIV - and did something about it. [Read more.]( ['America's Nobel' goes to a power couple who made a startling discovery about HIV]( This year's Lasker Prize for public service goes to South African researchers Salim and Quarraisha Abdool-Karim. The married couple made a startling discovery about HIV - and did something about it. [Read more.]( [A new kind of drug for schizophrenia promises fewer side effects]( A medicine that sidesteps the brain's dopamine receptors to reach different targets represents a new approach to schizophrenia treatment. The Food and Drug Administration approved it Thursday. [Read more.]( [A new kind of drug for schizophrenia promises fewer side effects]( A medicine that sidesteps the brain's dopamine receptors to reach different targets represents a new approach to schizophrenia treatment. The Food and Drug Administration approved it Thursday. [Read more.]( [Steward wraps hospital operations in Mass. this week. Here's where the deals stand]( Monday was set to be the last day Steward Health Care operated hospitals in Massachusetts. Deals to sell the bankrupt company's remaining five hospitals to nonprofit operators were slated to close by the end of the day. [Read more.]( [Steward wraps hospital operations in Mass. this week. Here's where the deals stand]( Monday was set to be the last day Steward Health Care operated hospitals in Massachusetts. Deals to sell the bankrupt company's remaining five hospitals to nonprofit operators were slated to close by the end of the day. [Read more.]( [You'll never guess the culprit in a global lead poisoning mystery]( High levels of lead were found in a surprisingly large number of Bangladeshi kids in New York City - and in pregnant women in Bangladesh. Could there be a common cause? [Read more.]( [You'll never guess the culprit in a global lead poisoning mystery]( High levels of lead were found in a surprisingly large number of Bangladeshi kids in New York City - and in pregnant women in Bangladesh. Could there be a common cause? [Read more.]( [Nursing aides plagued by PTSD after 'nightmare' COVID conditions, with little help]( Nursing aides feel abandoned as they grapple with mental and physical troubles that stem from their work during the COVID outbreak. [Read more.]( [Nursing aides plagued by PTSD after 'nightmare' COVID conditions, with little help]( Nursing aides feel abandoned as they grapple with mental and physical troubles that stem from their work during the COVID outbreak. [Read more.]( What We're Reading 📚 - Abortion pills will be controlled substances in Louisiana soon. Doctors have concerns ([Associated Press]( - Remember That DNA You Gave 23andMe? ([The Atlantic]( - Amazon to Stock Opioid Overdose Reversal Drug Narcan at Its Warehouses ([The Wall Street Journal]( Your Health [Stressed out? These 8 skills can help boost mood and reduce anxiety]( Life is stressful. Whether it's work or relationship issues or you're worrying about politics or global conflict, it can be overwhelming. NPR's Stress Less: A quest to reclaim your calm aims to help. [Read more.]( [Stressed out? These 8 skills can help boost mood and reduce anxiety]( Life is stressful. Whether it's work or relationship issues or you're worrying about politics or global conflict, it can be overwhelming. NPR's Stress Less: A quest to reclaim your calm aims to help. [Read more.]( 🧠💥 Did you know...💥🧠 ...more American adults now say they use cannabis on a near-daily basis than alcohol? It's one of [five takeaways]( NPR found in a new cannabis report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.](   [Donate](   # # Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences](.   I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. Unsubscribe from all WBUR editorial newsletters [here](.   Interested in learning more about corporate sponsorship? [Click here](. Trustees of Boston University on behalf of WBUR, 890 Commonwealth Ave Boston, MA, 02215, US Copyright 2024 WBUR-FM, All rights reserved.