I’ve talked before about how data can be misrepresented and misused, especially when there is profit to be made. A huge example is the pharmaceutical industry, which routinely pays for biased studies to promote new drugs, but you can find this kind of faulty science in pretty much every field.
I like this quick and easy breakdown on the common flaws in studies by Ali Thompson. She is talking about weight loss studies in particular, but her questions around credibility can be applied to many different study topics.
This isn’t just about being an informed consumer. A great deal of this kind of information is used to discriminate or harass people. Before you look at someone and think you know everything you need to know about them and their health, perhaps a little critical thinking is in order. And above all – who stands to profit?