population studies

"In some population studies, looking at a random selection of people who had MRIs but no diagnosis, when we specifically look for Chiari malformations you find something like up to 4% of the population has it, but it doesn't necessarily cause them any problems," Gupta said.

Medical advancements are steadily improving at saving older people, and while longevity gains might not be as drastic as they were when advancements in technology were saving younger people, it still has a net positive effect, said Shripad Tuljapukar, a professor of biology and population studies at Stanford University in Palo Alto, California.

“In general population studies, you tend to ask questions that are going to be applicable to the majority of the population,” she said.

"Research on air pollution and climate change should strive to quantify health benefits," said senior author Kari Nadeau, John Rock Professor of Climate and Population Studies and chair of the Department of Environmental Health.

They plan to continue their research in this area, including using population studies to further investigate what kind of specific parental nurturing factors and sociocultural values affect individuals' metacognitive and mentalizing abilities.