The Timing of Death in Athens,Georgia,1974

Abstract

Several retrospective studies have suggested that some persons can alter the timing of their natural, biological deaths in anticipation of a ceremonial occasion, such as a birthday. This study posits that death may be such a personally relevant event in itself that variations in its daily occurrence cease to be entirely random. A hierarchical log-linear analysis of the frequency distribution of 1,961 deaths by age, sex, season of death, and time of death indicated that persons were more likely to die during the 08:01–12:00 (noon) daily time period and less likely to die during the 20:01–24:00 (midnight) time period (p < .05). However, this apparent timing effect for dying was independent of the effects of the remaining variables. Further research on the viability of circadian (i.e., 24-hour) rhythmic variations in the patterning of human mortality is suggested.

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The Timing of Death in Athens,Georgia,1974–1980: A Research Note

Abstract

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