Santa May be Good For Your Health

Santa May be Good For Your Health, New Study Says

Believing in Santa can be good for your well-being, especially if you're a sick child confined to a hospital bed, new Canadian research suggests.

A survey of 45 children hospitalized for cystic fibrosis, leukemia and diabetes showed that chronically ill kids "tend to believe in Santa Claus longer," and that can be helpful to both patient and doctor, researcher and Canadian pediatrician Claude Cyr told the Montreal Gazette.

St. Nick represents a positive life force, said Cyr, and the fantasy distracts children from their pain, particularly if doctors talk to them about Santa Claus. "It's really important for them to still be children, even if they are in an adult world like the hospital or the intensive care unit with lots of strangers."

The study is published in today's issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.

-- Felicity Stone

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