wug7a Someone’s lying to you. What are the odds you can tell? If you’re like the average person, not as good as you probably think. In fact, they’re only about 1 in 1.85, just a little better than a totally random 50-50. That’s according to Paul Kelly, a former Secret Service Special Agent, who served as a course … Read more
It’s become a familiar scene on campuses around the country: a crowd of college women loitering on the green, with hardly a man in sight. But these aren’t women’s colleges—they’re co-ed institutions, where women now so outnumber men that admissions officers are beginning to fret. Today, females make up about 57% of undergraduates, an enormous … Read more
The kiss is one of the most intimate forms of human expression, and there are myriad types. These include the affectionate kiss that parents give to children, the reverential peck that Catholics bestow upon the ring of the Pope, the platonic kind used to greet friends, and, of course, the vigorous cheek-pinch-and-kiss combo practiced by … Read more
Unintentional poisoning is a cause of death with a quiet prevalence. The suspected role of unintentional poisoning in celebrity deaths has garnered headlines that span several decades, from Elvis Presley to Heath Ledger. What is less publicized is the effect unintentional poisoning has on the general population. Today, the odds an accidental death was caused … Read more
Fear of crime: it’s on the rise. But violent crime is dropping. Why the disconnect? We should feel safer. The FBI has been reporting reductions in violent crime for several years. The rate—which covers murder, manslaughter, rape, robbery, and assault—has dropped steadily, from 469 per 100,000 inhabitants in 2005 to 454.5 in 2008. But if anything, we feel less safe. According to … Read more
The odds a person will be killed by a tornado in a year are 1 in 4,513,000. It’s not at all likely you will be killed by a tornado. Or as Dr. Joshua Wurman puts it: “Suicide by tornado would be very inefficient.” Wurman is so confident he will survive an up-close encounter with a … Read more
“How did you sleep?” If you’ve had a rough night of tossing and turning, this seemingly innocuous question—often the first words you hear each day—can ring in the air like a cruel insult. Trouble sleeping is a common experience. According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2009 Sleep in America™ poll, the odds an adult has difficulty falling asleep … Read more
We have Tiger Woods to thank for suggesting an off-label use of the prescription sleep aid Ambien®. Although there are plenty of people who would love their sex life to be more exciting (the odds a man would like his partner to be more adventurous in the bedroom are 1 in 2.08, and for a woman they’re 1 in … Read more
Every evening we change out of our clothes, kiss each other good night…and head off to sleep in our separate quarters. That’s rarely the expectation most couples have when they say “I do,” or even “Let’s move in together!” Yet being estranged bedfellows is common to 23% of the population: According to the National Sleep … Read more
It is everyone’s dream to some day win a large sum of money in a jackpot, but the big question is, what are the odds of winning a jackpot. Millionaires have been known to emerge from lottery game across the world, be it from gambling or from a show. Lotteries are a way of giving … Read more