That’s correct. It’s an example of why assuming that “correlation = causation” can lead to some bad decisions.
Drinking wine and living longer are correlated, but it is not likely that one causes the other. It is more likely that there is something else (such as disposable income) that causes both.
In a similar way, ice-cream sales and drownings peak at the same time every year. The ice-cream is not causing people to drown, and neither are drowning people buying a significant amount of ice-cream. Both can be attributed to the higher temperatures of summer.
That… doesn’t sound very compelling.
Alcoholism is associated with disease and death, and wine is just another form of alcohol.
That’s correct. It’s an example of why assuming that “correlation = causation” can lead to some bad decisions.
Drinking wine and living longer are correlated, but it is not likely that one causes the other. It is more likely that there is something else (such as disposable income) that causes both.
In a similar way, ice-cream sales and drownings peak at the same time every year. The ice-cream is not causing people to drown, and neither are drowning people buying a significant amount of ice-cream. Both can be attributed to the higher temperatures of summer.
Yeah, I remember reading in my psych textbook that ice cream consumption was correlated with homicidal behaviour, which is obviously not causal.