A Scientific Approach to Wellness
摘要
Science is a systematic investigation that allows us to make testable predictions, and its foundation is the scientific method, which is the transparent and replicable way we test our assumptions about something. Pseudoscience is any belief, idea, conclusion, theory, or method that is labeled as scientific but is not. The wellness space is particularly vulnerable to pseudoscience, as social media influencers, wellness practitioners, and wellness marketing can play on our cognitive biases, fears, and assumptions in ways that encourage us to be science deniers and to adopt wellness products of dubious benefit and uncertain risk profile. This chapter begins with definitions of pseudoscience and science, followed by a discussion of the relationship between evidence-based practice and science. The cognitive biases and logical fallacies that give rise to pseudoscientific beliefs are also described. The chapter ends with an exploration of the risks of pseudoscience and how these relate to the wellness industry.