Birth Dates and Death Dates: A Closer Look

Abstract

The present research examines possible temporal links between dates of birth and dates of death. A week by week analysis of the deaths of 4,320 eminent North American men who died within four weeks of their birthdays suggests that the period ranging from two weeks before the birthday to two weeks after the birthday is a period of high risk, with the exception that there are relatively few deaths during the week immediately following the birthday itself. A day by day analysis of the deaths of 1008 eminent individuals who died within one week spans which centered on their birthdays showed that the most deaths occurred two days before the birthday and that the fewest deaths occurred the day after the birthday. For the individuals studied, birthdays may be stressful events whose termination brings about a temporary upswing in mood and a brief reprieve from death. Findings are discussed in terms of the opponent process theory of motivation.