But among those who were into Nirvana, 58% are delighted by modern art.
----------------
63% of people are well informed about world events.
But among those who were into Nirvana, 76% are well informed about world events.
----------------
27% of people say their parents or grandparents are immigrants.
But among those who were into Nirvana, only 15% say their parents or grandparents are immigrants.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have been into Nirvana if you both:
are a fan of the Foo Fighters
are a fan of Arrested Development
NO CORRELATION
People who were into Nirvana are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
like skim milk
say the person who most intimidates them is a woman
have oily hair
Noncarbonated Beverages
39% of people make a lot of impulse purchases.
But among those who prefer noncarbonated beverages, only 28% make a lot of impulse purchases.
----------------
47% of people bring their lunch more often than they buy their lunch.
But among those who prefer noncarbonated beverages, 56% bring their lunch more often than they buy their lunch.
----------------
27% of people don’t own flat-screen TVs.
But among those who prefer noncarbonated beverages, 37% don’t own flat-screen TVs.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer noncarbonated beverages if you both:
prefer to sip cold beverages through a straw
regularly eat yogurt
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer noncarbonated beverages are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have made a prank call within the past three years
dislike their nose
regularly use a Laundromat
Non-College Graduates
45% of people aren’t wine drinkers.
But among those who aren’t college graduates, 64% aren’t wine drinkers.
----------------
62% of people prefer debit cards over credit cards.
But among those who aren’t college graduates, 80% prefer debit cards over credit cards.
----------------
47% of people have never gotten a speeding ticket.
But among those who aren’t college graduates, 64% have never gotten a speeding ticket.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not be a college graduate if you both:
don’t have a nine-to-five type of job
have been rickrolled
NO CORRELATION
People who are not college graduates are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer their ice cream in a cone
be able to tie a cherry stem into a knot with their tongue
find freckled faces to be attractive
Nonfiction Lovers
46% of people like anime.
But among those who like nonfiction more than fiction, only 31% like anime.
----------------
46% of people most enjoy living in urban areas.
But among those who like nonfiction more than fiction, 60% most enjoy living in urban areas.
----------------
75% of people have a generally positive opinion about France.
But among those who like nonfiction more than fiction, 88% have a generally positive opinion about France.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer nonfiction over fiction if you both:
have not read The Hunger Games
say your kindergarten teacher would not have described you as self-reliant and resilient
NO CORRELATION
Nonfiction lovers are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have eaten a fig, other than in Fig Newtons
have broken a bone
say they have very little shame
Noses
48% of people like techno music.
But among those who don’t like their nose, only 36% like techno music.
----------------
35% of people say that as children, they liked when things were neat and tidy.
But among those who don’t like their nose, 47% say that as children, they liked when things were neat and tidy.
----------------
37% of people use their middle finger to scroll when using a mouse with a scroll wheel.
But among those who don’t like their nose, 49% use their middle finger to scroll when using a mouse with a scroll wheel.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to dislike your nose if you both:
have bad skin
say the person you are in love with is not in love with you
NO CORRELATION
People who don’t like their nose are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have never pulled an all-nighter
be unable to type without looking at the keyboard
have been on blind dates
Older Siblings
43% of people spend more time watching TV/movies than listening to music.
But among those who have older siblings, 54% spend more time watching TV/movies than listening to music.
----------------
55% of people are good at giving massages.
But among those who have older siblings, 64% are good at giving massages.
----------------
42% of people have bouts of indigestion more often than bouts of indignation.
But among those who have older siblings, 50% have bouts of indigestion more often than bouts of indignation.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have older siblings if you both:
think violent felons should not be made permanently ineligible to receive public food benefits
think outdoor weddings are worth the risk of inclement weather
NO CORRELATION
People who have older siblings are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have a Pinterest account
prefer Leno to Letterman
say they would get their son circumcised
On the Radio
35% of people have been involved in student government.
But among those who have been on the radio, 48% have been involved in student government.
----------------
19% of people regularly tweet on Twitter.
But among those who have been on the radio, 31% regularly tweet on Twitter.
----------------
13% of people have testified in court.
But among those who have been on the radio, 24% have testified in court.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to have been on the radio if you both:
have attended a wedding of a couple whom you didn’t believe would last
are a teacher
NO CORRELATION
People who have been on the radio are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have been pantsed in public
prefer soft pillowcases
be able to recognize the quadratic formula if they saw it
Organ Donors
32% of people do the Electric Slide at wedding receptions.
But among those who aren’t registered organ donors, only 19% do the Electric Slide at wedding receptions.
----------------
24% of people say that white bread is thei
r favorite kind of bread.
But among those who aren’t registered organ donors, 35% say that white bread is their favorite kind of bread.
----------------
62% of people want to be cremated.
But among those who aren’t registered organ donors, only 51% want to be cremated.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not be a registered organ donor if you both:
have never smoked marijuana
never leave tips in tip jars
NO CORRELATION
People who aren’t registered organ donors are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they’d rather find out they have a long-lost sister than a long-lost brother
like super-cheesy pickup lines
prefer Reese’s Pieces to M&M’s
Origami
68% of people would accept a friend’s offer to let them hold a pet rat.
But among those who know how to make origami, 81% would accept a friend’s offer to let them hold a pet rat.
----------------
63% of people prefer tropical fruits to tropical climates.
But among those who know how to make origami, 75% prefer tropical fruits to tropical climates.
----------------
40% of people say they don’t have super-fast Internet connections.
But among those who know how to make origami, 49% say they don’t have super-fast Internet connections.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to know how to make origami if you both:
have attempted to learn sign language
are interested in geology
NO CORRELATION
People who know how to make origami are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have extraordinary-sounding hiccups
be surfers
prefer a fine-mist shower stream rather than a high-pressure stream
Pants
73% of people know the difference between a stock and a bond.
But among those who prefer pleated pant fronts, 86% know the difference between a stock and a bond.
----------------
72% of people like meat loaf dinners.
But among those who prefer pleated pant fronts, 85% like meat loaf dinners.
----------------
41% of people would rather get a congratulatory stamp than a sticker.
But among those who prefer pleated pant fronts, 53% would rather get a congratulatory stamp than a sticker.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer pleated pant fronts if you both:
don’t get your hair cut at a salon
believe in God
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer pleated pant fronts are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they are faster than average readers
be good at remembering the words to songs
be right-handed
Parents
62% of people can drive stick shift.
But among those with children, 84% can drive stick shift.
----------------
47% of people delete or move their emails after they’ve read them.
But among those with children, 65% delete or move their emails after they’ve read them.
----------------
34% of people own an SLR camera.
But among those with children, 51% own an SLR camera.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be a parent if you both:
have ridden a motorcycle
think a loud baby is more tolerable than a loud dog
NO CORRELATION
People with children are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have been on a swim team
be willing to use a bidet
prefer Coke over Pepsi
Passwords
43% of people are fans of Jim Carrey.
But among those who use the same password for pretty much everything, 55% are fans of Jim Carrey.
----------------
38% of people would agree to staff a kissing booth to raise funds for their favorite charity.
But among those who use the same password for pretty much everything, 49% would agree to staff a kissing booth to raise funds for their favorite charity.
----------------
61% of people say they remain objective and unbiased, even if it means potentially hurting someone’s feelings.
But among those who use the same password for pretty much everything, only 51% say they remain objective and unbiased, even if it means potentially hurting someone’s feelings.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to use the same password for pretty much everything if you both:
are more familiar with Play-Doh than Plato
don’t own an iPad or other tablet
NO CORRELATION
People who use the same password for pretty much everything are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
love A Christmas Story
think the best way to respond to the Westboro Baptist Church’s provocations is to ignore them, rather than counterprotest
be blunt
People Who Dine Out Frequently
67% of people like detective fiction.
But among those who dine out frequently, 78% like detective fiction.
----------------
37% of people are not very ticklish.
But among those who dine out frequently, 47% are not very ticklish.
----------------
48% of people prefer a cologne/perfume that evokes autumn.
But among those who dine out frequently, 57% prefer a cologne/perfume that evokes autumn.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to dine out frequently if you both:
aren’t bothered when different foods are touching on your plate
have an American Express or Discover credit card
NO CORRELATION
People who dine out frequently are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
be lactose intolerant
rather read the book than listen to the audiobook
use shoe polish
STATISTICS 101:
THE MULTIPLE TESTING PROBLEM
Whenever you poll a group of people, there’s always a chance that what seems like a significant result is actually just a matter of chance. For instance, if you flip a fair coin 100 times, it’s highly unlikely that it would land on either heads or tails 61 or more times out of 100. In fact, there’s only about a 5% chance of that happening. And so, we can say with 95% confidence (see page 19) that a fair coin will land on heads between 40 and 60 times in 100 flips.
Now suppose you’re trying to determine whether a coin is fair and it lands on heads 61 times out of a hundred. You might conclude that it’s biased toward heads.
But a 5% chance means that in 1 in 20 attempts, you should indeed expect to land on one side 61 or more times.
Thus the more times you conduct your coin-flipping experiment, the more likely it is that you will achieve what appears to be a significant result by pure chance.
Similarly, suppose you have data from hundreds of poll questions, and you compare the results of one poll to the results of all the other polls to see if any correlations exist. The more comparisons you make, the more likely it will be that an apparent correlation will occur by pure chance.
Pepsi vs. Coke
61% of people say they have a low energy level.
But among those who prefer Pepsi over Coke, 75% say they have a low energy level.
----------------
47% of people don’t feel comfortable opening their eyes underwater.
But among those who prefer Pepsi over Coke, 59% don’t feel comfortable opening their eyes underwater.
----------------
19% of people prefer powdered laundry detergent.
But among those who prefer Pepsi over Coke, only 8% prefer powdered laundry detergent.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer Pepsi over Coke if you both:
are closer to lower class than upper class
are good at keeping a straight face when you’re pulling someone’s leg
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer Pepsi over Coke are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
like techno music
think Adam and Eve had belly buttons
prefer crushed iced to cubed ice
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