If you’ve been feeling a little down as the “Doomsday Clock” ticks ever closer to midnight, you’re not alone.
A new study in The Bulletin of Atomic Scientists (BAS) links the clock’s progress to negative shifts in mortality and mental health. The study, the first of its kind to connect the timepiece metaphor for global catastrophe to mental and physical health, indicates higher rates of death related to Alzheimer’s disease, suicide, unintentional injuries, and alcohol and drug abuse as the clock inches closer to midnight.
The BAS first set the clock in 1947, with an eye to potential annihilation by global nuclear warfare. As the times have changed, other threats to humanity have been added to the mix the organization uses to tell us how close we may be to an existential “Time’s Up.” Those new risks include climate change, disruptive technology and cyber risks, and political volatility. In January ...
