Is scientific failure worth ending your life?

Credit: Kyodo News / AP

It has been more than a week since Dr. Yoshiki Sasai ended his life by an apparent suicide over the controversial STAP papers. Soon we will all forget, just like we did for every other eminent scientist who took failure to a fatal result.

I kept thinking what would've made Sasai so depressed, since he wasn't the one on target (at least that's what we think). Haruko Obokata was the first author of now retracted Nature papers and she was to blame for all the misdoings.

The research area is far from my expertise and I'm more interested in how much we should take our research personally. My quick answer is not at all.

A while ago, a senior professor wrongfully criticized me for talking bad about their materials. That was one of those moments I realized how much research can get into you. It is sad to see people are so attached to their papers/materials/research. I find this very toxic. And I asked myself this very question: "how would I feel if someone trashed my work? and in front of many people?" Whatever negativity came out of this questioning, I vaccinated myself by criticizing my own work myself. I guess Steve Jobs would be happy to hear this since he made iPhone by asking "what would be an iPod killer?"

This topic can go on a long way but my judgment is sometimes we take our research personally and harm others or ourselves. Nothing is worth your life.