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Beneficial Side Effects

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Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science
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Synonyms

Advantageous side effects

Definition

The unintended or undesired outcomes that are beneficial.

Introduction

Side effects are often considered as undesirable. Side effects are often unintended. Side effects can be considered as by-products. When an intervention is done, it often aims at achieving a specific goal. The specific goal is often achieved through a specific mechanism at a specific site. However, the impact of an intervention may go beyond the desired or intended effect, which is often referred as side effect. In simpler terms, it can be said that the outcome of an intervention consists of desired effect and side effect (i.e., outcome = desired effect + side effect). The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines side effect as “a secondary and usually adverse effect (as of a drug)” and also refers to it as side reaction (Merriam-Webster Dictionary 2006). Side effects are also commonly known as adverse effects. Side effects are often discussed in the context of different...

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Correspondence to Sujita Kumar Kar .

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Kar, S.K. (2019). Beneficial Side Effects. In: Shackelford, T., Weekes-Shackelford, V. (eds) Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1588-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-16999-6_1588-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-16999-6

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