watch TV news
say their families moved around a lot during their childhood
make New Year’s resolutions
Losing One’s Appetite
57% of people say they are more likely to clam up than talk too much when they’re around someone they’re attracted to.
But among those who lose their appetite when they’re upset, 69% say they are more likely to clam up than talk too much when they’re around someone they’re attracted to.
----------------
32% of people say they had a negative first impression of Pope Francis.
But among those who lose their appetite when they’re upset, 44% had a negative first impression of Pope Francis.
----------------
38% of people ascend the stairs two at a time.
But among those who lose their appetite when they’re upset, 48% ascend the stairs two at a time.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to lose your appetite when you’re upset if you both:
don’t tend to overeat at buffets
would rather have a feeding tube than a colostomy bag
NO CORRELATION
People who lose their appetite when they’re upset are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have served as ring bearers or flower girls at a wedding
take pleasure in putting things in order
be sopranos or tenors
Macs vs. PCs
44% of people regularly back up their files.
But among those who prefer Macs over PCs, 61% regularly back up their files.
----------------
78% of people like pesto sauce.
But among those who prefer Macs over PCs, 93% like pesto sauce.
----------------
43% of people say they are the first result in a Google search of their name.
But among those who prefer Macs over PCs, 57% say they are the first result in a Google search of their name.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to prefer Macs over PCs if you both:
own an iPod or iPad
use a laptop as your primary home computer
NO CORRELATION
People who prefer Macs over PCs are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
think the penny should not be done away with
say they’d be willing to have all memories from the past year wiped out in exchange for $500,000
be able to name more than one song by Flo Rida
Manual Transmission
68% of people know how to tie a necktie.
But among those who can’t drive stick shift, only 52% know how to tie a necktie.
----------------
38% of people tend to choose tails in a coin toss.
But among those who can’t drive stick shift, 51% tend to choose tails in a coin toss.
----------------
47% of people watch The Big Bang Theory.
But among those who can’t drive stick shift, only 34% watch The Big Bang Theory.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be unable to drive stick shift if you both:
are not an engineer
are not better educated than your parents
NO CORRELATION
People who can’t drive stick shift are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer earbuds to headphones
dislike pesto sauce
say their favorite Girl Scout cookies are Thin Mints
Marijuana
33% of people have flown first class.
But among those who have smoked marijuana, 47% have flown first class.
----------------
41% of people were into Nirvana.
But among those who have smoked marijuana, 55% were into Nirvana.
----------------
44% of people are fans of actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
But among those who have smoked marijuana, 57% are fans of actor Daniel Day-Lewis.
DOUBLE PLAY
have been given a hickey
swear a lot
NO CORRELATION
People who have smoked marijuana are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say they’re more likely to buy the single than buy the album
prefer silver-colored jewelry to gold-colored jewelry
rather find out they have a long-lost brother than a long-lost sister
Married People
48% of people have carved a turkey.
But among married people, 72% have carved a turkey.
----------------
54% of people have donated blood.
But among married people, 70% have donated blood.
----------------
49% of people snore.
But among married people, 65% snore.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be married if you both:
have had hemorrhoids
like to grill
NO CORRELATION
Non-married people are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
like Ernie more than Bert
eat corn on the cob in a spiral
get easily sunburned
Mayonnaise
56% of people think that if they could redo high school, knowing everything they know now, they would be just as uncool as they were the first time.
But among those who dislike mayonnaise, 67% think that if they could redo high school, knowing everything they know now, they would be just as uncool as they were the first time.
----------------
43% of people find it difficult to explain to people what kind of work they do.
But among those who dislike mayonnaise, only 32% find it difficult to explain to people what kind of work they do.
----------------
60% of people aren’t good at remembering their dreams.
But among those who dislike mayonnaise, 70% aren’t good at remembering their dreams.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to dislike mayonnaise if you both:
hate mushrooms
have a high energy level
NO CORRELATION
People who dislike mayonnaise are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
prefer hard-shell tacos
think their political opponents are, in general, more evil than stupid
be social conservatives
Moonwalking
49% of people prefer creamy salad dressings to oily salad dressings.
But among those who know how to moonwalk, 62% prefer creamy salad dressings.
----------------
60% of people would rather play a bass drum than a tuba in a marching band.
But among those who know how to moonwalk, 72% would rather play a bass drum than a tuba in a marching band.
----------------
48% of people are skilled Capri Sun pouch puncturers.
But among those who know how to moonwalk, 60% are skilled Capri Sun pouch puncturers.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to know how to moonwalk if you both:
can spin a basketball on your finger
like comedians who do celebrity impressions
NO CORRELATION
People who know how to moonwalk are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
plan their outfits the night before
have visited someone in prison
be faster than average readers
STATISTICS 101:
CORRELATION VS. ASSOCIATION
Technically, a correlation can exist only between two things that have a range of possible values, such as temperature or latitude. When there is a pattern to their relationship (for example, as one rises, so does the other, or as one rises, the other falls) we say that they are correlated.
The correlations in this book don’t meet that formal definition because the surveys that were used asked people to choose from two opposing options, rather than a range of possible values. A statistics textbook would label them mere associations, rather than correlations.
It’s possible to have degrees of correlation and association, depending on how closely coupled the relationship is between the two variables.
For instance, you might find that there is a correlation, albeit a relatively weak one, between a person’s annual income and his or her attractiveness, but a stronger correlation between a person’s annual income and his or her education level.
Multilingualism
74% of people like mint chocolate chip ice cream.
But among those who are fluent in more than one language, only 56% like mint chocolate chip ice cream.
----------------
39% of people type two spaces between sentences.
But among those who are fluent in more than one language, only 23% type two spaces between sentences.
----------------
33% of people think Google hasn’t done a good job of adhering to its unofficial “Don’t be evil” motto.
But among those who are fluent in more than one language, 48% think Google hasn’t done a good job of adhering to its unofficial “Don’t be evil” motto.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to be multilingual if you both:
were not born in the United States
don’t find Australians sexy
NO CORRELATION
People who are multilingual are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
be side sleepers
have had a root canal
be skeptical about alternative medicine
Mushrooms
36% of people have never eaten a fig, except in Fig Newtons.
But among mushroom haters, 56% have never eaten a fig, except in Fig Newtons.
----------------
47% of people prefer tea to coffee.
But among mushroom haters, 61% prefer tea to coffee.
----------------
57% of people have never had athlete’s foot.
But among mushroom haters, 69% have never had athlete’s foot.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to dislike mushrooms if you both:
would not use a bidet, if available
don’t own a raincoat
NO CORRELATION
Mushroom haters are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
find it harder to forgive than ask for forgiveness
ball up their socks to fold them
have worn braces
Music Videos
46% of people think BASE jumpers are idiots.
But among those who think music videos are passé, 58% think BASE jumpers are idiots.
----------------
49% of people say they feel like grown-ups.
But among those who think music videos are passé, 61% say they feel like grown-ups.
----------------
36% of people think outdoor weddings aren’t worth the risk of inclement weather.
But among those who think music videos are passé, 47% think outdoor weddings aren’t worth the risk of inclement weather.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to think music videos are passé if you both:
have never purposely listened to a Justin Bieber song
say your internal clock is pretty accurate
NO CORRELATION
People who think music videos are passé are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
be able to differentiate between a tangerine and a clementine
be employed by the government
have bad handwriting
Mustaches
60% of people stay in the movie theater until the credits end.
But among those who think men with mustaches are cool, 72% stay in the movie theater until the credits end.
----------------
46% of people know who actress Felicia Day is.
But among those who think men with mustaches are cool, 57% know who actress Felicia Day is.
----------------
60% of people like “Weird” Al Yankovic.
But among those who think men with mustaches are cool, 70% like “Weird” Al Yankovic.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to think men with mustaches are cool if you both:
are fluent in only one language
think clowns are fun
NO CORRELATION
People who think men with mustaches are cool are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
have never been under general anesthesia
be open to being a foster parent
prefer to have a beautiful obituary over a beautiful gravestone
Nail Biting
48% of people are nervous pen clickers.
But among those who bite their nails, 59% are nervous pen clickers.
----------------
52% of people regularly play video games.
But among those who bite their nails, 63% regularly play video games.
----------------
68% of people would accept a friend’s offer to let them hold a pet rat.
But among those who bite their nails, 78% would accept a friend’s offer to let them hold a pet rat.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to bite your nails if you both:
describe yourself as absent-minded
are typically believed to be older than you actually are
NO CORRELATION
People who bite their nails are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
say their right thumb is on the outside when they fold their hands
be able to touch-type on a numerical keypad
be employed by the government
Neckties
56% of people are good at making paper airplanes.
But among those who don’t know how to tie a necktie, only 38% are good at making paper airplanes.
----------------
32% of people prefer checkers to chess.
But among those who don’t know how to tie a necktie, 49% prefer checkers to chess.
----------------
50% of people snore.
But among those who don’t know how to tie a necktie, only 35% snore.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to not know how to tie a necktie if you both:
bruise easily
wear pajamas to bed
NO CORRELATION
People who don’t know how to tie a necktie are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
spend more time listening to music than watching TV/movies
say they would regift the Clapper
like country music
Neighbors
31% of people are more likely to have an energy drink than a sports drink.
But among those who dislike their neighbors, 46% are more likely to have an energy drink than a sp
orts drink.
----------------
63% of people still make wishes before they blow out their birthday candles.
But among those who dislike their neighbors, only 49% still make wishes before they blow out their birthday candles.
----------------
69% of people are good with kids.
But among those who dislike their neighbors, only 59% are good with kids.
DOUBLE PLAY
You’re extremely likely to dislike your neighbors if you both:
are not very ticklish
dislike licking envelopes
NO CORRELATION
People who dislike their neighbors are almost exactly as likely as the average person to:
send out more e-cards than regular cards
subscribe to Netflix
prefer pi as the circle constant over tau
Nirvana
44% of people are delighted by modern art.