Overcoming Bias

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Date-Rape Drug Myth

www.overcomingbias.com

Date-Rape Drug Myth

Robin Hanson
Dec 3, 2009
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Date-Rape Drug Myth

www.overcomingbias.com

A study of more than 200 students revealed many wrongly blamed the effects of a “bad night out” on date-rape drugs, when they had just drunk excessively. …  The study … found three-quarters of students identified drink spiking as an important risk – more than alcohol or drugs.  More than half said they knew someone whose drink had been spiked.  But despite popular beliefs, police have found no evidence that rape victims are commonly drugged with such substances, the researchers said. …

“During thousands of blood and alcohol tests lots of judgement-impairing compounds were discovered, but they were mostly street drugs or prescription pharmaceuticals taken by the victims themselves, and above all alcohol was the common theme. …  Earlier this year, Australian researchers found that not one of 97 young men and women admitted to hospital over 19 months to two Perth hospital claiming to have had their drinks spiked, had in fact been drugged.

More here.  Apparently women prefer to blame a mythical drug over own drinking, etc. Like parents would rather worry about mythical kidnappers at the mall than ordinary kid-parent conflict.  And so on.  Really folks, look first for simple ordinary explanations before looking to unusual ones.

HT to Patri Friedman.

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Date-Rape Drug Myth

www.overcomingbias.com
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