Scott Alexander analyzes survey data showing lower sexual harassment rates in STEM fields compared to other industries, contradicting media narratives, while urging caution and calling for more research. Longer summary

Scott Alexander analyzes data from his blog's survey on sexual harassment rates across different fields. The survey found that STEM and traditionally male-dominated fields had lower rates of reported sexual harassment compared to more verbal/personal skills-oriented fields. This contradicts media narratives about tech having unusually high harassment rates. Scott notes the strong correlation between at-work and out-of-work harassment rates across fields, suggesting differences may be more related to the people in each field rather than workplace cultures. He urges caution in interpreting the results, acknowledges potential biases, and calls for more rigorous research on this topic given the lack of good comparative data across industries. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander examines the phenomenon of cost disease, where costs for basic services like education and healthcare have increased dramatically without corresponding improvements in quality or wages. Longer summary

Scott Alexander explores the concept of cost disease, where costs for essential services like education, healthcare, and housing have increased significantly over the past few decades without corresponding improvements in quality or wages. He presents data showing how these costs have risen much faster than inflation, while worker salaries in these fields have remained stagnant or even declined. Alexander considers various potential explanations for this phenomenon, including market failures, increased regulation, lawsuit fears, and changing risk tolerance. He argues that this cost disease is a major factor behind many current political and economic debates, and expresses concern about its impact on living standards and economic progress. Shorter summary

Scott examines new research on ketamine's antidepressant effects and its implications for understanding depression and evaluating psychiatric literature. Longer summary

This post discusses new research on ketamine's antidepressant effects, which suggests they are caused by a metabolite rather than ketamine itself. The author examines how this finding impacts previous research and understanding of ketamine's mechanism of action. He reviews studies on NMDA antagonists and finds mixed results, with some potential bias when conflicts of interest are present. The post concludes by reflecting on the implications for trusting psychiatric literature, especially in cases with conflicts of interest. Shorter summary

Scott Alexander critiques mass-produced medical recommendations, showing how they can oversimplify or misrepresent scientific evidence using vitamin D and niacin as examples. Longer summary

Scott Alexander critiques mass-produced medical recommendations, focusing on vitamin D and niacin supplements. He argues that popular sources like information graphics and websites often oversimplify or misrepresent the scientific evidence. Using vitamin D as an example, he shows how counting only positive studies can lead to misleading conclusions, as many larger studies and meta-analyses have found no benefit for cancer prevention or general health. He then discusses niacin, once thought beneficial but later found to be potentially harmful. Scott emphasizes the importance of considering all available evidence and being cautious about simplified recommendations. Shorter summary