It Is Widely Believed That Chocolate Causes Acne, Since People

question 65

Essay

It is widely believed that chocolate causes acne, since people susceptible to acne frequently assert that eating chocolate is invariably followed by an outbreak of the skin condition. However, Donald
G.Bruns, in a letter to Science News, wondered whether those who have the belief that chocolate causes acne might not have things backwards.Some studies indicate that hormonal changes associated with stress may cause acne, he notes.Other studies indicate that people fond of chocolate may tend to eat more chocolate when under stress.Given these studies, Bruns comments, it may be easy to confuse which, the chocolate or the acne, is the cause-and which is the effect.In a brief essay, explain what pattern of reasoning seems to underlie the belief that chocolate causes acne (probably the paired unusual events principle-the relevant difference between this situation, where there were an outbreak of acne, and situations in which there was none is that in this situation the person ate chocolate), and then answer this question: Bruns complains that those who believe that chocolate causes acne may be guilty of the fallacy of reversed causation.Given the studies he cites, has Bruns correctly identified the mistake?

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