Trying to live for a loved one is a fantasy

Most of us have heard stories about a dying person who has tried to live until his or her birthday or a special holiday, like a wedding for their children.

There seems to be a common belief that at least we can control something that is almost unpredictable: death.

This phenomenon is popular in part because of the psychological tendency of human attention to selective attention. We try to remember memorable events, while ignoring unconsciously all other events that are not special. Psychologically, this trend is sometimes called " memorizing achievements and ignoring failures ."

Besides all the stories we hear about people who have stubbornly resisted death until their 100th birthday, there are thousands of people who died just a few days before this milestone. But their stories are not interesting, and therefore less informed and remembered. (also implies that those who die before a special event are not enough to love life or do not try to be strong enough to live longer)

So, in fact, whether the dying person can live on his own to enjoy birthdays, holidays or a special event?

A few little scientific studies have proved this, like the work of sociologist David Phillips at California State University in San Diego. Phillips found that the death rate of Jewish men dropped just before the Passover (commemorating the Jewish crossover leaving Egypt), and so on with a section of elderly women China before the Mid-Autumn Festival.

However, these studies have several limitations, such as on small samples and it is difficult to control rituals. For example, it is not clear whether all Jewish men consider the Passover Feast a major event in life. Even religious holidays may not mean much to everyone in a nation, for example many people see Christmas as a special occasion of the year, others consider it a period stress, anxiety and boredom. One might argue that some people like to die before Christmas instead of trying to live to enjoy it.

The best research on this issue so far is a 2004 work that analyzed records of 1.3 million people. The research team, led by Donn Young, of Ohio State University's Cancer Center, investigated the mortality rates of about 300,000 cancer patients.

The study, published in December of that year, found no significant increase in the number of deaths after Christmas, as it is expected that patients can "try to live" through this holiday. There is also no relationship between death rates and Thanksgiving or the birthdays of patients.

There may still be a "trying to live" effect, but it has not been shown in careful scientific studies.

T. An