You might think double dipping a chip at a Super Bowl party this weekend is a victimless crime. Really, what’s the worst thing that can happen?
Here’s the worst thing that can happen. death. Lots and lots of death.
A study at Tulane University in New Orleans analyzed flu data from the past 35 years, and found an interesting connection to the Super Bowl.
If a city’s team is in the Super Bowl, their death from the flu jumps. People over 65 in that city are 18% more likely to die . . . and that’s not a coincidence.
The researchers say it’s because people are more likely to attend big Super Bowl parties with people they don’t know . . . and whose germs they aren’t used to.
And as they all get really into the game, they start double dipping chips, shouting, and coughing . . . and that spreads germs. And since older people are the most susceptible to dying from the flu, that’s really bad news for them.