belong to a gym or fitness center
prefer green apples to red apples
dislike sideburns
Decision Making
58% of people don’t have sinus issues.
But among those whose emotions influence their decisions more than logic or reasoning, 77% don’t have sinus issues.
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53% of people say they have average (or worse) reflexes.
But among those whose emotions influence their decisions more than logic or reasoning, 71% say they have average (or worse) reflexes.
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22% of people would rather see increased funding to the arts than to the sciences.
But among those whose emotions influence their decisions more than logic or reasoning, 38% would rather see increased funding to the arts than to the sciences.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to say that your emotions influence your decisions more than logic or reasoning if you both:
are a woman
leave your emails in your inbox after you’ve read them
NO CORRELATION
People whose emotions influence their decisions more than logic or reasoning are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer cushioned toilet seats
prefer compact umbrellas over full-size umbrellas
think it’s sometimes OK for a significant other to keep photos of old flames
Deep-Dish Pizza
60% of people prefer mechanical pencils.
But among those who prefer deep-dish pizza to thin-crust pizza, 71% prefer mechanical pencils.
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60% of people don’t own an iPad or other tablet.
But among those who prefer deep-dish pizza to thin-crust pizza, 70% don’t own an iPad or other tablet.
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49% of people prefer creamy salad dressings.
But among those who prefer deep-dish pizza to thin-crust pizza, 58% prefer creamy salad dressings.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer deep-dish pizza to thin-crust pizza if you both:
pray
would like to take a martial arts class
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer deep-dish pizza to thin-crust pizza are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have idiosyncratic rules about how they eat their Kit-Kat bar
have a throwaway email address
be married
Diaries
47% of people bring their lunch more often than they buy their lunch.
But among those who keep a diary or journal, 65% bring their lunch more often than they buy their lunch.
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27% of people make New Year’s resolutions.
But among those who keep a diary or journal, 45% make New Year’s resolutions.
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43% of people are involved in volunteer work.
But among those who keep a diary or journal, 58% are involved in volunteer work.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to keep a diary or journal if you both:
like to write lists
have read The Hunger Games
NO CORRELATION
People who keep a diary or journal are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
think Adam and Eve had belly buttons
prefer soft-shell tacos
say they’re typically believed to be younger than they are
Dodge Ball vs. Kickball
69% of people prefer physics to chemistry.
But among those who prefer dodge ball over kickball, 81% prefer physics to chemistry.
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59% of people find straight hair more attractive than curly hair.
But among those who prefer dodge ball over kickball, 68% find straight hair more attractive than curly hair.
----------------
47% of people prefer cold weather over hot.
But among those who prefer dodge ball over kickball, 56% prefer cold weather over hot.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer dodge ball over kickball if you both:
enjoy role-playing games
don’t bruise easily
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer dodge ball over kickball are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
live alone
smoke
believe aliens exist
Donating Blood
49% of people say they feel like grown-ups.
But among those who have donated blood, 60% say they feel like grown-ups.
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28% of people like creamed chipped beef.
But among those who have donated blood, 38% like creamed chipped beef.
----------------
64% of people say they are well informed about world events.
But among those who have donated blood, 73% say they are well informed about world events.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have donated blood if you both:
would agree to staff a kissing booth to raise funds for your favorite charity
are a registered organ donor
NO CORRELATION
People who have donated blood are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
be in better shape now than five years ago
like horror movies
have cried during Titanic
Double-Jointedness
66% of people like Liv Tyler more than Steven Tyler.
But among those who are double-jointed, 85% like Liv Tyler more than Steven Tyler.
----------------
53% of people say their signatures are illegible.
But among those who are double-jointed, 72% say their signatures are illegible.
----------------
62% of people are fans of Penn & Teller.
But among those who are double-jointed, 80% are fans of Penn & Teller.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be double-jointed if you both:
have had pink eye
watch the Super Bowl for the commercials rather than the game
NO CORRELATION
People who are double-jointed are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they’d rather have a maid than a personal chef
prefer their toilet paper to hang against the wall
not be willing to let a stranger borrow a cellphone to make a call
Emergency Vehicles
50% of people have ridden a motorcycle.
But among those who have ridden in an emergency vehicle, 62% have ridden a motorcycle.
----------------
38% of people have a higher opinion of Apple’s iOS than of Google’s Android OS.
But among those who have ridden in an emergency vehicle, 50% have a higher opinion of Apple’s iOS than of Google’s Android OS.
----------------
35% of people have mistakenly used the public restroom of the opposite sex.
But among those who have ridden in an emergency vehicle, 46% have mistakenly used the public restroom of the opposite sex.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have ridden in an emergency vehicle if you both:
have donated blood
like the singer Meat Loaf
NO CORRELATION
People who have ridden in an emergency vehicle are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they would rather repe
al the Nineteenth Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, than the Twenty-First Amendment, which ended the alcohol prohibition
like licorice
say a physical feature is the thing they like least about themselves
Exclamation Points
67% of people find Australians sexy.
But among those who don’t like to use exclamation points, only 55% find Australians sexy.
----------------
44% of people would rather be friends with Prince Harry than Prince William.
But among those who don’t like to use exclamation points, only 32% would rather be friends with Prince Harry than Prince William.
----------------
74% of people are more likely to arrange a bookshelf based on subject than book size or color.
But among those who don’t like to use exclamation points, 85% are more likely to arrange a bookshelf based on subject than book size or color.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not like using exclamation points if you both:
are an overachiever
are unaware of having ever been rickrolled
NO CORRELATION
People who don’t like to use exclamation points are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
own raincoats
floss regularly
prefer iced tea to lemonade
Exercise Habits
64% of people think New Yorkers are cooler than Los Angelenos.
But among those who don’t regularly exercise, 77% think New Yorkers are cooler than Los Angelenos.
----------------
60% of people stay in the movie theater until the credits end.
But among those who don’t regularly exercise, 70% stay in the movie theater until the credits end.
----------------
28% of people like creamed chipped beef.
But among those who don’t regularly exercise, 37% like creamed chipped beef.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not regularly exercise if you both:
aren’t an overachiever
can’t name more than one song by Flo Rida
NO CORRELATION
People who don’t regularly exercise are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
regularly check their horoscope
use the same password for pretty much everything
buy the extended warranty on big-ticket items
Extroverts
35% of people say mosquitos prefer biting them more than the average person.
But among extroverts, 56% say mosquitos prefer biting them more than the average person.
----------------
30% of people are Justin Timberlake fans.
But among extroverts, 49% are Justin Timberlake fans.
----------------
41% of people aren’t bothered by parents who kiss their adult children on the lips.
But among extroverts, 60% aren’t bothered by parents who kiss their adult children on the lips.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be an extrovert if you both:
consider yourself very physically affectionate
like anchovies
NO CORRELATION
Extroverts are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
pig out when they’re upset
have dimples
take off their shoes when they enter their home
Eyesight
38% of people say they have an above-average libido.
But among those who don’t wear glasses or contacts, 51% say they have an above-average libido.
----------------
56% of people always wash their hands after using a public restroom.
But among those who don’t wear glasses or contacts, only 43% always wash their hands after using a public restroom.
----------------
36% of people say that as children, they liked when things were neat and tidy.
But among those who don’t wear glasses or contacts, 48% say that as children, they liked when things were neat and tidy.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not wear glasses or contacts if you both:
don’t have to have the last word in an argument
never spill things on your keyboard
NO CORRELATION
People who don’t wear glasses or contacts are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer emoticons with noses
like the smell of citronella
have a TV in their bedroom
STATISTICS 101:
CONFOUNDING VARIABLES
If you were to create a chart that depicts ice cream sales and drowning incidents over time, you would find that they both rise and fall at about the same times of the year.
Does that mean that higher ice cream sales cause drownings or vice versa?
No. Statisticians call this a “spurious relationship” because neither causes the other.
The most obvious explanation for the correlation is that a confounding variable exists. Confounding variables, also called hidden variables, are pertinent factors that we may not necessarily take into account when we observe a connection between two unrelated things.
In this simple example, the weather is the confounding variable. People are more likely to eat ice cream when the weather is warm, and they’re also more likely to swim (and drown) when it’s warm out.
Fainting
32% of people say they have a lot of Jewish friends.
But among those who have fainted in public, 49% say they have a lot of Jewish friends.
----------------
54% of people are wine drinkers.
But among those who have fainted in public, 68% are wine drinkers.
----------------
44% of people think Saturday night is a better night to party than Friday night.
But among those who have fainted in public, 56% think Saturday night is a better night to party than Friday night.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have fainted in public if you both:
have dyed your hair
regularly drink alcohol
NO CORRELATION
People who have fainted in public are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have visited a chiropractor
prefer dark toast to light toast
have dandruff
Fan Mail
75% of people find it hard to tell when someone’s just being flirty, versus when they’re really interested.
But among those who have written a fan letter to a celebrity, only 58% find it hard to tell when someone’s just being flirty, versus when they’re really interested.
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26% of people like wall-to-wall carpeting more than hardwood floors.
But among those who have written a fan letter to a celebrity, 37% like wall-to-wall carpeting more than hardwood floors.
----------------
21% of people have dated someone they met on a dating website.
But among those who have written a fan letter to a celebrity, 32% have dated someone they met on a dating website.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have written a fan letter to a celebrity if you both:
prefer Good & Plenty over Mike and Ike candies
would rather time-travel to the past than to the future
NO CORRELATION
People who have written a fan letter to a celebrity are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
expect Social Security to be insolvent when they
retire
prefer to visit Philly for the Liberty Bell than for the cheesesteaks
like cantaloupe
Filtered Water
40% of people think they would recognize the Dalai Lama if he walked past them in jeans and a Lakers jersey.
But among those who filter all their tap water, 57% think they would recognize the Dalai Lama if he walked past them in jeans and a Lakers jersey.
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69% of people are bad at writing love letters.
But among those who filter all their tap water, 82% are bad at writing love letters.
----------------
49% of people say they are more focused on the future than the present.
But among those who filter all their tap water, 60% say they are more focused on the future than the present.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to filter all your tap water if you both:
wash new clothes before you wear them
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