Men with names containing an “ah” sound like Matt are considered sexier that those who have an “aw” sound like Paul. This was proven on a web site entitled “Hot or Not.” However the opposite is true of women so says linguist Amy Perfors of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. (This info will probably put cosmetic surgery out of business. It’s much cheaper to change your name than your appearance. Just call me “Laaauuura!”)
74 % of hardcover fiction books peaked for sales within a month of release in 2001-02 so says a Stanford Business School study. (What a hot item this is! It’s too late to be a part of the 2002 results but if we all boycott buying hardcover books the first month they’re published in 2005, we can really mess with Stanford’s head.)
According to Business Week magazine 39% would get tattooed and 62% would not go to a movie for 6 months if you gave them $500. (I guess we all have our price. How big would my tattoo have to be?)
The Washington Post says only 23% of Democrats have a swimming pool while 36% of Republicans have one. Only 11% of Democrats have golf clubs while 21% of the Republicans do. (I sure hope Bush, Kerry, or Michael Moore don’t get these valuable stats. We have enough mud slinging in this presidential race already.)
The Emily Post Institute says 75% of Americans wish to be told if they have B.O.
(Let’s see…what is a tactful way to tell someone they stink? I guess you could wear a gas mask, put a clothespin on your nose, or spray air freshener in their path. You’ll find out real quick if they’re part of the 75%!)
The average bra size in the U.S. was 34B in 1991 according to a Lexington, Ky. newspaper. (However it neglected to say whether this was for men or women.)
U.S.A. Today tells us that Starbucks offers around 19,000 coffee serving variations and Tropicana sells 24 varieties of O.J. (If I get a different coffee variation every day it will take me over 5 years to try them all. I think I’ll switch to tea.)
Veterinarian Heather Prendergast tells us 57% of pets are too fat but she offers liposuction to help fat cats and dogs drop the weight. (In the future maybe owners and beloved pets can both go in for lipo at the same time and get a discount!)
According to Psychology Today there are around 2,500 words and/or expressions for genitalia, male or female. (How many do we need? I demand a recount!)
The U.S. spent around $276 billion on research in 2002. (I wonder how much of that came from the government? It would help explain our high deficit.)
According to an independent survey by a reliable source (me), the number of people who actually cared about these particular stats was 0. (An exact quote by one participant was, “Who freakin’ cares?”)
It boggles my mind to consider the time, energy, and money spent in gathering useless data when there are so many areas one could research to actually help people. It’s a sad commentary on a society with too many choices, too much money, and too much time on their hands. The Bible alludes to this in Ecclesiastes 12. We spin our wheels to find out too late it can all be “meaningless!” “Of the making of many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh.” (v. 8,12 NIV) (Especially if you’re studying what I listed above!)
Now you might be amazed to find out what you could learn by making a study of the Bible. And why not? After all, statistically speaking, according to the Internet Public Library, it is 
