Interesting FactsMAR 17, 2024

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers)

Vėja Elkimavičiūtė and Jonas Grinevičius

116

Numbers can be very powerful. Even though a few bits of data cannot provide the full nuanced context about something, they can subtly change how we perceive the world. Random stats and facts are also one (albeit a slightly geeky) way to break the ice at social gatherings.

Redditor u/magica12 recently sparked an interesting discussion after asking the incredibly active r/AskReddit online community for their favorite true statistics that stun other people. We’ve collected some of the most interesting ones, and it’s quite likely some of them are going to be completely new to you, too, dear Pandas. Scroll down to see for yourselves.

#1

“What’s Your Favorite True Statistic That Makes People Do A Double Take When They Hear It?” (45 Answers)

Sharks have existed for longer than the North Star, by a considerable margin.

Not that sharks have existed for longer than the star was in position along Earth's rotational axis. Polaris, the star itself, only formed 70 million years ago, whereas the first sharks evolved **450 million** years ago.

Also, sharks are older than trees.

CarnivoreDaddy, Jonas Allert

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134points

#2

51% of all Americans aged 16-72 cannot read above a 6th grade level, which makes it impossible for them to educate themselves on their own, as they lack vital skills in the areas of cross-referencing information or even finding a particular piece of given information in a body of text.

You can send that [insert political party here] person as many links to articles to prove your point as you want. They literally will not be able to understand them.

Edit: what's worse is that statistic is more than 20 years out of date and ~~education~~ classrooms have steadily been decreased funding since. The studies involved took place at the height of education in the US.

3shotsb4breakfast, Thought Catalog

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134points

#3

There are greenland sharks up to 500 years old out there in the ocean. That means atleast one out there was born in the 1500s.

FlyingTiger101, Colton Jones

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125points

In real life, unless you’re a high-profile scientist, you probably won’t have the time or the resources to do research to confirm or deny any claims that sound iffy. It’s next to impossible to double-check every tiny little bit of info yourself. So, when it comes to determining whether or not a stat or fact is true or not, your best bet is to evaluate the reliability of the source.

First of all, focus on who’s making the claim. Consider whether they have any obvious biases. Think about their expertise in the area. Then, look at where they’re getting their data from. Are they the original researchers themselves, or are they simply referring to the data? Do they provide references for their claims, or are their sources something they might have (mis)heard or (mis)read years ago?

#4

For me its gotta be that hippos have a higher kill count yearly than sharks. Its a good example of confirmation bias, or at least as far as ive been able to tell. And i think its because pop culture has conditioned us to think of sharks as the one of the ultimate predators.

magica12, Wade Lambert

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120points

#5

You are closer in time to a T-Rex than the T-Rex was to a stegosaurus

Apollo_T_Yorp, Narciso Arellano

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119points

#6

Water blocks more radiation than the same amount of concrete or lead. And coffee grounds can set off Geiger Counters.

Tmavy, David Becker

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105points

If the person making the claim isn’t the original source, then there are a few other questions you ought to consider asking.

What organization or study is the claim they’re referencing from? Do the organization and researchers have any obvious biases of their own? Is the information up to date? Does the research account for any alternative explanations? Are there any obvious flaws that you can spot in the way the data was collected?

#7

America had twice as many deaths from Fentanyl in 2022 than all the U.S. casualties in Vietnam.

Flat_Resolve6236, James Yarema

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104points

#8

Did you know that honey never spoils? It's like nature's forever candy!

cute_minou, Arwin Neil Baichoo

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104points

#9

Joe Biden was born closer to Lincoln’s second inauguration than his own inauguration.

No hot take, no politics, no comment, just a wild fact.

halfhere, Ed Fr

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100points

If you happen to have a background in statistics or data analysis, you can also take a peek at the researchers’ methodology to make sure that everything’s sound. For example, you can look at the sample size they used and whether it’s big enough to come to any firm conclusions. On top of that, it’s vital to remember that just because some factors are correlated does not mean that they’re in a causal relationship.

Meanwhile, reality is very rarely black and white. It’s often nuanced, subtle, and complex. If the conclusions exaggerate one particular point of view, it might be worth reexamining the data, methodology, and any potential biases. Good science lies in replicating the results and withstanding the peer review process.