Wandering Into Wisdom

This blog chronicles the knowledge, insight and wisdom I encounter every day as a leadership consultant, executive coach, educator, father, friend and citizen. This site is dedicated to my father, Louis (Jack) Laughlin, who passed on to me an appreciation for wisdom. A special thanks to my friend Isaac Cheifetz, a businessman and journalist, who helped me understand the value of blogs and encouraged me to write one.

Virtually Stressed Out*

An article in the New York Times reported on a research study that found elevated levels of anxiety among people who use the internet to self diagnose health problems. Since internet diagnostic tools don’t consider the likelihood of a particular condition, or the emotional impact of a diagnosis on the patient, it’s the equivalent of having your doctor nonchalantly say, “Your headache could be an inoperable brain tumor, a terminal case of ALS or eye strain.” Apparently this phenomenon has led to a newly coined condition called “cyberchondria.” That’s all we needed.