Anniversary Reaction - Can Memory Trigger Death?

There is a commonly held belief that people die more around dates that they associate with loved ones passing or near certain holidays. Some of the statistics prove true - there are more deaths around Christmas (for Westerns) and just after Chinese New Year's (for Chinese). People seem to be able to time their deaths - extending them slightly to make it to a holiday, birthday or other event.

A recent report in Reuters told of a case in which a woman had a heart attack exactly one week (to the hour) after her father had died. The strangest part is - she was standing at the grave of her sister who had died when she heard the news of her father's death. Researchers have called this the "anniversary reaction."

Researchers don't exactly know what the "anniversary reaction" is or how it might work. What we do know is that thinking positively about the future can add years to your life. So find something to look forward to and be positive about, especially near sad anniversaries.

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