[inglor_cz]

DNA sequencing bugs me quite a bit.

On one hand, I would love to learn something new about my body.

On the other hand, what if the results tell me that I am predisposed to some horrible untreatable disease? Will I spend the rest of my days observing every little pain or discomfort and thinking "is this IT?"

[monopoledance]

I think you would have to two scenarios at hand:

1. A completely genetically determined disease; a rare 100%-going-to-happen deal. (Which you would probably know about already, because your mother, or grandfather died from it...)

2. Some significant, but abstract risk modification.

With 1., you would know, you will get sick/die some time soon in the future, allowing you to live your life accordingly, die without regrets, prepared and so on. You can take that into consideration when planning for a family, taking job offers, procrastinating on the good life with work and retirement plans. Burn bright.

With 2., there is a very, very high chance lifestyle choice influence the stated risk, as obviously not everybody who got the polymorphism gets sick. So you can get your ass up, exercise, quit smoking and drinking, reduce stress, get regular check ups, ..., and avoid getting sick or reduce the impact/progression, in case you do.

I think, logically, knowing is always better than not knowing. But I understand how anxiety does tell a different story.

[wallacoloo]

well, build a whitelist of the conditions you are interested in knowing. then just run the report through a sed filter so that it strips out all the information you’re not interested in. destroy the original report. problem solved: infohazards avoided.

[wombatmobile]

Knowing something about your prospects doesn't doom you to negative thoughts. In fact, the way the human mind works is often the obverse.

"Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it. Go out and get busy." --Dale Carnegie

"You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do." --Eleanor Roosevelt

"Fear is the path to the Dark Side. Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate, hate leads to suffering." --Yoda

"The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." --Nelson Mandela

"Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.' --Marie Curie

"The key to change... is to let go of fear." --Roseanne Cash

"He who is not everyday conquering some fear has not learned the secret of life." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

"We should all start to live before we get too old. Fear is stupid. So are regrets." --Marilyn Monroe

"Fear keeps us focused on the past or worried about the future. If we can acknowledge our fear, we can realize that right now we are okay. Right now, today, we are still alive, and our bodies are working marvelously. Our eyes can still see the beautiful sky. Our ears can still hear the voices of our loved ones." --Thich Nhat Hanh

[nomercy400]

How about affinities to possible health issues, which could be avoided if you started now and not in 20 years?

[inglor_cz]

I know. There is a lot of different scenarios. It is the worst one that bugs me. Human nature in action.

Perhaps a trusted middleman would be a solution: "just don't tell me about anything that is totally beyond my control".