running for my mind

Zamperini's story is very interesting. Hopefully the Unbroken film will feature lots of track action! :-)

That altitude theory is really poor "science". There are so many flaws in that argument that it hurts my head.

Seemed pretty flawed to me as well Jake. I know very little about science though. Also, I seem to feel less depressed the higher into the mountains I go!

my nonscientific conclusion: i'm far happier in the mountains. :)

i found this interesting, mostly because it's the first time i've heard an explanation that didn't blame the culture.

some running-related commentary here: http://www.scienceofrunning.com/2014/11/your-brain-on-altitude-how-altitude-can.html

It definitely seems flawed to me too. This article poses a different explanation.

http://www.livescience.com/34470-suicide-belt.html

"The Intermountain West is a place that is disproportionately populated by middle-aged and aging white men, single, unattached, often unemployed, with access to guns," Wray told Freakonomics Radio in the 2011 episode "The Suicide Paradox."

"This may turn out to be a very powerful explanation and explain a lot of the variance that we observe," Wray said. "It’s backed up by the fact that the one state that is on par with what we see in the suicide belt is Alaska."

There are so many contributing factors here...It's crazy that they are pinning it down to altitude. I agree, I'm happier the higher I go in the mountains.

"High on a mountain top..."

Pinning it on altitude is a way to generate page clicks and stir people up. The good thing is that it forces people to think (provided they are capable of thinking for themselves).

Pretty interesting piece, though I started to worry about all the Utah bloggers :-)

I think the piece that Fritz posted poses a more specific argument argument. It's possible that altitude is a contributing factor still but I like the larger context. "Middle-aged and aging white men, single, unattached, often unemployed, with access to guns" + who also live at altitude might be something to think about.

You'd have to look at the larger population demographics on suicide. If they tend to be similar to the findings in Utah, then it is possible that this pushes an already predisposed demographic over the edge (of the mountain).

I offer the fun following example on complex cause I got from a philosophy class some years ago, and to which my students always reply with such certainty:

A overloaded truck drives over an unsafe bridge and the bridge collapses. What caused the fall? The shaky bridge or the overloaded truck?

I (barely) got a B in my mandatory philosophy class at Colgate, and it was those types of questions that drove me nuts! :-)

Another way you could put it...

"Middle-aged and aging [insert race] men, single, unattached, often unemployed, with access to [insert any type of weapon or drug]" + who also live [insert any place] might be something to think about.

solid comments all around.

those that are close to me that have suffered from depression seem to be unable to explain what is causing their anxiety and sadness. that is one of the hardest parts from my view, wanting to help or "fix" something, but not knowing what to do and the individual can't articulate what would help.

I don't know if I explained that in an understandable manner. Until I started writing that, I didn't realize how close that topic is to me. (sorry for the sappyness)