The nexus of suicide prevalence, helping behavior, pace of life, affluence, and intelligence: contrary results from comparisons across nations and within the United States.
This study examined interrelations among suicide prevalence, affluence, intelligence, pace of life, and helping behavior on the level of aggregate analysis, both cross-nationally and within the USA, using four extant data sets (8, 15, and 29 countries; and 17 U.S. states) for the latter two variables. Pertaining to the association of suicide rates with pace of life, the results replicated discrepant previous findings of Lester. Across nations, suicide is more prevalent in populations living in faster environments, whereas within the USA suicide rates are higher in slower environments. Further, seen from an international perspective, there appears to be a nexus of variables, such that more people tend to commit suicide in the more affluent and faster environments which are populated by more intelligent, but less friendly, individuals. Within the USA, the direction of the correlations of suicide prevalence with these four variables is exactly reversed. Possible reasons for these opposed findings and implications for research are discussed.
Voracek
Martin
M
Department of Basic Psychological Research, School of Psychology, University of Vienna, Liebiggasse 5, Rm 03-46, A-1010 Vienna, Austria. martin.voracek@univie.ac.at
D000533:Altruism; D002423:Cause of Death; D003431:Cross-Cultural Comparison; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D014943:Global Health; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence / Q000145:classification; D008019:Life Style; D015995:Prevalence; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013405:Suicide / Q000208:ethnology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology