Causation, Correlation, Consequences, Chains, And Truth
Why It Is So Difficult To Get Accurate Information
Causation, Correlation, Consequences, Chains, And Truth
Why It Is So Difficult To Get Accurate Information
Written by a human, for humans, always.
I was reading an article earlier today...
Taking a position on a health topic...
The data was compelling...
The information was true...
Yet...
As I looked at it...
All I could see was that the end conclusion they came to...
Was incorrect.
How does that happen, though?
Someone presents an idea...
They are not lying about what they present...
But can still be absolutely wrong?
This brings us to why it is so difficult to get accurate information in today’s world...
A variety of challenges which can be used in different ways...
To get to different conclusions...
Which all may be incorrect.
For instance...
There is a difference between causation and correlation.
A classic example here is meat.
Does it cause health problems?
You can present data that shows a correlation between eating meat and a variety of health conditions...
But does this mean that red meat causes those problems?
The answer...
Is no...
And yes.
Confusing, right?
See, there are actually two ways this can play out.
Technically, meat in these studies is not the real cause of these health problems...
These studies usually do not account for other factors that can be the cause...
Such as smoking, lack of physical exercise, excessive drinking...
The consequences of “other” factors that can lead to the same health problems.
Indeed...
If you look at good research that focuses “solely” on meat...
You will actually find that meat often provides a vast network of nutrients which contribute to health...
Many of which you simply cannot obtain from other sources in significant amounts that your body needs.
But does this mean that meat is automatically healthy and does not cause disease?
It depends on the quality of the meat.
If it is factory-farmed meat...
Then that is usually loaded with things like hormones, antibiotics, pesticides, an imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio, and more...
All of which can create significant health consequences and chain reactions that can lead to health conditions.
So in this sense...
Meat can be unhealthy.
But the same is not true if the meat is regeneratively farmed.
The quality of the meat creates a significant difference.
So you can already see a variety of ways...
That people could be saying the truth...
Yet be inaccurate at the same time.
But we can go further.
We can look at consequences and chains as well.
I see this a lot in research when people make claims that something appears to be beneficial.
What is it we are seeing?
Well, we may see a “consequence” where one thing does cause another.
What you might call a first-order consequence...
And the result that is obtained may be true and “appear” to be beneficial to the goal being identified...
But it may fail in two other respects...
Both in second-order consequences...
As well as failing to address problems that are happening earlier in the chain, which still cause the same results.
A great example here would be melatonin.
Indeed, you can take melatonin, and it will make you feel more tired...
Making it easier for you to fall asleep...
At least initially.
But if you are actually low on melatonin...
The problem is usually not the melatonin itself...
Rather, there are usually lifestyle factors that are getting in the way of you creating melatonin...
Such as blue light exposure...
Interference with your circadian rhythms, such as inconsistent sleep schedules...
Lack of sunlight...
Increased caffeine intake, especially in the evening...
Lacking the proper nutrients...
And more.
If any of these are the problem, or even part of the problem...
Taking melatonin is not going to magically resolve these...
And if they continue to persist...
They will continue to create “other” problems...
Chains that make taking melatonin useless to help.
Further...
When we take Melatonin...
We fail to recognize the second-order consequences that happen.
Such as...
When we take Melatonin from an external source consistently...
Our bodies will actually stop producing it naturally...
Especially if you are already lacking nutrients for other bodily functions, so your body begins to reassess where those nutrients go.
But this creates a new problem...
If the melatonin you naturally produce decreases...
You need “more” external melatonin to reach ideal levels.
But...
Getting the levels “correct” consistently is extremely difficult.
The result...
Is that in an effort to feel tired and get to sleep...
People usually take an excess of melatonin.
This creates two new consequences in this chain of events...
First, is that when you take too much melatonin...
It “feels” similar to not having enough melatonin...
The side-effects are strikingly similar...
Making it all the more likely that you take even more melatonin, “believing” you have not taken enough.
Second, is that when you take too much melatonin...
The receptors that register melatonin may become overwhelmed...
And over time, they may actually begin to become desensitized...
Making melatonin ineffective...
Even if you increase the amount.
But it is difficult or impossible to know whether the problem is...
A lack of melatonin...
An excess of melatonin...
Or a desensitization of melatonin.
As they all feel remarkably similar.
So is it a lie that taking melatonin can help you feel tired and fall asleep more easily?
No.
That is true.
But it also fails to take into account the other chains and consequences that occur when you take melatonin.
There is a lot of research that ends up looking like this when you dive deeply into it.
I remember reading research papers on a supplement...
That claimed to have anti-cancer potential...
While simultaneously ignoring that the same “anti-cancer” potential...
Could “cause” cancer in healthy cells.
Why do I bring all of this up?
I tell you this to help you understand “why” it is so difficult to get accurate information in our world today.
So much of the information we look at and consume...
Is so narrowly defined...
So hyper-focused...
That it fails to consider things like causation, correlation, consequences, and chains.
What you read may be true...
Even well-intentioned...
Yet simultaneously inaccurate when you get a fuller picture.
What this means...
Is that we generally need to dig deeper into what we hear...
If we are actually going to discover the full truth, that is accurate.
Those Who Seek Sageship Also Cultivate Others!
Share this Article Today With Someone Who Needs It and Earn Exclusive Rewards!
Are You Ready To Become A Sage?
Paid Subscribers will Gain ‘Exclusive’ Access to…
Read the Entire “Psychophysiology Freedom” Deep Dive Section for Exponential Results
Access to the “Full” Paid Archive (Check Out the Cultivation Center for More)
Connect Further in the “Subscriber Only” Chat & Comments Section
“Directly” Impact Regenerative Projects around the Globe
With “More” Coming In The Future…
It’s Time to Change The World!
Psychophysiological Freedom
For Paid Subscribers
So, how do we go about finding the truth that is accurate?
It is not easy…
But there are things we can pay attention to that make it easier to identify.
That is what we will look at next.
Let’s Dive In…
