In Review
“There is significance to rewarding people. You get them to do what you want them to do, but not what they want to do.” —Edward Deci, a professor of psychology and the Gowen Professor in the Social Sciences, talking with the CBS news site MoneyWatch.com about his study showing that people may enjoy doing tasks less when they are paid for them.
New York Times
“I can see if you’re getting worse over the course of the visit, your ability to eat, to walk, to converse, and to think.”—Ray Dorsey, an assistant professor of neurology, describing a pilot study of group checkups for patients with Parkinson’s disease that he led at the Medical Center.
CNN
“His music is accessible because of the groove . . . (and) Marley the performer was charismatic enough to sell it. A lot of artists don’t have that.”—John Covach, a professor of music in the College and a professor of music theory at the Eastman School, remembering musician Bob Marley on the 30th anniversary of his death.
Fox News
“A third of new drugs that are approved have no comparative data at all. I think we’d all say that is sad.”—Alec O’Connor, an associate professor of medicine, responding to a new study showing that 33 percent of Food and Drug Administration drug approvals included no data on how the medications compare with existing alternatives.
MSNBC
“I wouldn’t necessarily tell my patients after reading an article like this to drink more than five cups of coffee a day to lower your risk of a particular type of breast cancer. It’s just that if you happen to enjoy coffee consumption, you may possibly have an added benefit of protection against one subtype of breast cancer.”—Michelle Shayne, an assistant professor of medicine, reacting to news of a study indicating that women who drink five or more cups of coffee a day are 57 percent less likely to develop estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer than women who drink less than one cup.
U.S. News & World Report
“I believe, yes, attending to emotions is extraordinarily important, not only for the well-being of the individual’s emotional and mental health but also for the physical health and maybe even evolution of myocardial infarction.”—Robert Gramling, an associate professor of family medicine, talking about a study showing that people who are very frightened of dying during and in the days after a heart attack have more inflammation—a sign they may not do as well over time as patients who are less afraid.
NPR
“Nobody really, really knows.”—John Treanor, a professor of medicine and chief of the Infectious Diseases Division at the Medical Center, responding to a question about whether a repeat flu shot is needed this fall, as this year’s shot is a duplicate of last year’s. Treanor and other experts recommend following the Centers for Disease Control’s advice to get the flu shot.
