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The dreadful Guardian Saturday magazine reports on a landmark 1976 psychology study:

Two American researchers, Ellen Langer and Judith Rodin, gave a group of elderly nursing home residents a plant to care for. Another group in the same home were given plants, but told that nurses would take care of them.

Three weeks later, those who had cared for their own plants reported much higher levels of happiness than those who hadn’t; 18 months later, their health and levels of activity had improved and, most significantly, fewer of those residents had died.

The author concluded from this that caring for others, even for plants, can make us happier - and even extend our lives.

I conclude that taking part in pseudo-scientific experiments can make us happier - and even extend our lives.

Perhaps someone can explain to me why my conclusion isn’t valid?

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