Prince Myshkin Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I will copy and paste this as you may need a password to read the article. http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn26859-how-science-tells-us-to-ignore-celebrity-endorsements.html?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=SOC&utm_campaign=hoot&cmpid=SOC%257CNSNS%257C2014-GLOBAL-hoot#.VMfdRP7kdcR How science tells us to ignore celebrity endorsements [ATTACH=CONFIG]31923[/ATTACH] Other sources of health advice are available (Image: AKM-GSI/Splash News/Corbis) Popular culture assigns guru status to those who are famous for being famous, yet why does entertainment expertise grant celebrities wisdom in matters of health and beauty? It's an odd phenomenon, and in Is Gwyneth Paltrow Wrong About Everything? Tim Caulfield of the Health Law Institute at the University of Alberta in Canada takes this fallacy of expertise, and our delusional hunger for fame, to task. As he ransacks star-studded endorsements for any shred of scientific validity, dissecting celebrity health and beauty claims as he goes, Caulfield also subjects himself to celebrity-endorsed "treatments" and reflects on his own failed ambition to be a rock star. The result is both funny and fascinating. "Celebrity culture has emerged as one of the most significant and influential sources of pseudoscientific baloney," says Caulfield, whose personal journey included a year-long reading of People magazine, signing on with a modelling agency, embarking on a Gwyneth Paltrow-endorsed "detoxifying" cleanse, getting a ruby rub facial and adopting a multi-step anti-ageing skin-care regimen. Science-free zone What does he discover along the way? That "detoxification" is bunkum, cleanses are more likely to harm than help and most beauty regimens, no matter how expensive, are quackery, he says. "Beauty advice is a science-free zone," says Caulfield. The "Caulfield Cleanse", he mockingly advises, consists of cleansing your system of pseudoscientific babble, supplementing with scepticism, detoxifying your system with scientific evidence and adhering to a diet replete with fruits and vegetables. Caulfield also peers analytically into the lives of celebrities, celebrity wannabes and the thriving spin-off industries that prey on our delusions. Is fame really within our grasp if we just dream big enough, invest in our training and never give up? Nope. The dream-crushing Caulfield shares insights from psychologists, anthropologists, unemployment statistics, struggling actors, underemployed musicians and his own talent agency exploitation, letting us in on the cold harsh reality that becoming a "star" is less probable than being hit by an asteroid. "A modeling class… cannot teach you to be tall, beautiful, photogenic and rail thin," says Caulfield. "That requires, in descending order of importance, genetics, genetics, genetics and, if genetics don't do it, a diet of water and lettuce." So is Gwyneth Paltrow really wrong about everything? When it comes to the science of health and beauty, the answer, according to Caulfield, is yes. If there's one weakness to Caulfield's entertaining tale, it's that he falls into the same trap he tells us to avoid. "Anecdotes and personal testimonials – no matter how compelling and belly-button revealing – are not good science," he says. Yet, to my secret delight, this book is full of them. Lesley Evans Ogden is a writer based in Vancouver, Canada; @ljevanso on Twitter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Myshkin Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Don't shoot the messenger. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gai Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 i mean it was bound to happen sooner or later right? but still the industry of celebrity lifestyles/endorsements will flourish. pseudoscience is nothing new. btw, i like how the author went with the most obvious name to get more publicity :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coeurli Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Holycow that is rude! So rude it almost sounds funny :lol: And people should get over Gwyneth. She seems to be wise enough not to let it get to her and affect what she does though, thankfully. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny and the cake Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 What i dont get is that no one is forcing you to believe what a celebrity says i mean gwyneth once said that water has feelings yet you dont see me petting my water bottle because it might feel sad today Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whenilookinyoureyes Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 She looks amazing and very healthy. I'll have what she's having! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 I'll have what she's having! Yeah I'd like to have some spare millions as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Myshkin Posted January 27, 2015 Author Share Posted January 27, 2015 Predictable biters :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
whenilookinyoureyes Posted January 27, 2015 Share Posted January 27, 2015 Predictable biters :) [emoji85][emoji86][emoji87][emoji5]️ Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina8 Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 She's not educated about these stuff, but people believe her and buy things from her just because she's a celebrity. And I think she's totally obsessed with her "healthy lifestyle". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 She's not educated about these stuff, but people believe her and buy things from her just because she's a celebrity. lolyes And I think she's totally obsessed with her "healthy lifestyle". Man, life is way too lame if you leave out all the unhealthy crap :wacky: *continues stuffing face with tacos* Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jonny and the cake Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 She's not educated about these stuff, but people believe her and buy things from her just because she's a celebrity. And I think she's totally obsessed with her "healthy lifestyle". but its her life after all she says stupid stuff all the time or takes loads of things for granted because she was raised by famous people, but she's not a bad person/mother/wife at all Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gai Posted January 28, 2015 Share Posted January 28, 2015 oh yes, I think she is well-intentioned. and she is unfairly harassed by the media quite a lot of the time. but the fact that she is using her celebrity to sell pseudoscience doesn't sit well with some people. but for most people, it's just a sport to hate on her. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prince Myshkin Posted January 28, 2015 Author Share Posted January 28, 2015 I don't dislike her. I don't like her. I have no idea how anybody could possibly have any opinion on her. Unless they actually knew her, of course. It is a shame that people that don't need to buy into her as a concept of health, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Draco Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 I read other articles on her that popped up on the yahoo news homepage. I can't remember exactly what she said, but she mentioned some details on her detox diet. It seemed like she wanted to starve people. Then she mentioned about having a smoke or two on the weekends, which doesn't sound so healthy to me. Lately, I heard that she likes to steam certain body parts. [emoji58] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grids Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Unless if she graduated from science degree then we cant complain a lot because at least she's educated with related topics. But I think she's going too far on this. Smoking on the weekends while keeping up with detox diet? What's the new definition of that? Umm, conscious unsmoking? :P Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 What's the new definition of that? Umm, conscious unsmoking? :P conscious unconsciousness :0 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grids Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 conscious unconsciousness :0 Conscious unsciences Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 Conscious unsciences sounds dangerous D: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grids Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 sounds dangerous D: 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 30, 2015 Share Posted January 30, 2015 They should have really just written "we broke up", they had to know how the media will use this weird term in the future :S Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nina8 Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 :laugh3: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coeurli Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 They should have really just written "we broke up", they had to know how the media will use this weird term in the future :S Yes but the great thing about them is that they really seem not to care about what the media say :awesome: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Batman Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 Yes but the great thing about them is that they really seem not to care about what the media say :awesome: We do not know what's going on inside of their heads and how much of the media creeps into their lives, so I hope it's true what you're saying °-° Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gai Posted January 31, 2015 Share Posted January 31, 2015 We do not know what's going on inside of their heads and how much of the media creeps into their lives, so I hope it's true what you're saying °-° it's about the kids too, isn't it. the adults may handle it, but for the kids it's a different story. anything that's out in the media can get back to the kids. can see how having famous parents can be a nightmare, especially ones that get a beating in the public. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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