If you think too highly of yourself, beware! ‘Pride comes before a fall’, a proverb that predicts that at some point something is bound to happen to make the egomaniacal think twice, or fall (we sincerely hope this article will be read by President Trump).

A group of researchers wanted to investigate if high levels of reported pride is associated with people suffering actual falls (not dents to one’s ego). Bizarrely important research, as falls cost the UK around £1.1 billion yearly. Falls are serious business as those injured by falls can have problems carrying out daily activities that can lead to social isolation and a rapid decline in health, usually in the elderly.

Factors that can lead to falling are well known. They range from gait to being female and environmental factors (like Valletta’s pavement). But no one had investigated if pride can lead to falling, so Prof. Michael Daly and his team studied data gathered from 4,964 people for the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA), a major study that assessed the quality of life and health of adults above the age of 50.

The study had asked people in 2010/2011 if they felt proud in the last 30 days. In 2014/2015 they asked if they had fallen over the previous two years. Therefore, did pride come before the fall?

Sadly, for all those egomaniacs out there, there is no need to worry. Pride might actually protect against falls. Trump might remain in power for quite a bit longer!

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