Benjamin Franklin notoriously quipped that the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Today, many people might justifiably include, “and I do not comprehend either of them.”

This is all to state that a brand-new study of almost 1,000 individuals in the U.K. discovered that a bulk of individuals are unaware about the truths of death and passing away. In the study, which was launched today (Might 8), 6 in 10 participants confessed they understood little or absolutely nothing about what takes place in the last hours prior to death What’s more, half of those who confessed lack of knowledge likewise stated that they had actually existed with somebody in their last living minutes. [Do People Really Die of Old Age?]

This may appear like a grim survey to perform, however according to The Academy of Medical Sciences– a fellowship of more than 1,000 U.K. medical researchers, which sponsored the study– that’s sort of the point. According to a declaration from the academy, death and passing away have actually ended up being such taboo topics in Western cultures that lots of people withstand speaking about them. (Undoubtedly, of the 966 U.K. grownups surveyed in the brand-new study, 354 declined to address any concerns.)

This reticence has actually led to an extensive cultural lack of knowledge about death, the study discovered. For instance, just 42% of participants stated they rely on pals or household for details about death and end-of-life care, while simply 22% stated they ‘d be most likely to ask doctor for details. Approximately the exact same portion (20%) of individuals stated they get their details on death from documentaries, and 16% stated they get their details from fictionalized TELEVISION programs and movies.

” TELEVISION and movies seldom ever illustrate ‘typical’ deaths,” Dame Lesley Fallowfield, an Academy of Medical Sciences member and teacher at the University of Sussex, stated in the declaration. “For lots of people, death is a mild, tranquil and pain-free occasion. Although grieving the loss of enjoyed ones can be a hard procedure, some individuals do discuss their enjoyed one’s death as having actually been a favorable experience We require to debunk death and speak about it more.”

Absence of direct details might worsen individuals’s worries about death, the study stated. When inquired about their issues about a buddy or enjoyed one passing away, 62% of participants stated they feared the individual would be in discomfort and 52% fretted the individual would be scared. According to Fallowfield, this is not constantly the case.

To assist attend to these issues and to motivate more open discussion and education about passing away, the academy is introducing a nationwide awareness project. You can discover more about it on the group’s site or on the website Passing Away Matters

Initially released on Live Science