Everybody Lies

There is a book called "Everybody Lies". Everybody doesn't lie. The book doesn't really say that. I think the publisher picked that title to boost sales. However, it seems that quite a few people lie at least a little bit. The author of the book looked at internet searches to get information about what people were interested in. He couldn't see what individuals were looking for, but he could see total numbers of searches somehow. It brought up some interesting things and, for one thing, showed how people answering surveys are saying some things a little different from how they really feel. And sometimes it just confirms what you would assume is true.

Here are some, I think, interesting examples:

• Who searches for "God"? People in Alabama, Mississippi, and Arkansas, and most often on Sunday.
• Searches for "anxiety symptoms" is consistently higher in rural areas that cities.
• Searches for "depression" was highest in areas with a harsh winter climate.
• Positive articles get shared much more often than negative articles.

Some sports facts he had:

• Each additional inch in height roughly doubles your chances of making it in the NBA.
• For people under six feet tall, their chance of being in the NBA is about one in two million.
• For people over seven feet, it is about one in five.
• A stable family background is a big advantage in making it in the NBA.
• The size of its left ventricle is the key stat in how successful a race horse is. (American Pharoah's was in the 99.61 percentile.)

Interesting, right? There is more, but maybe this should be a two-parter blog. By the way, did you know that the TV show Batman was always a two-parter for its first two seasons. And in its third season they were only stand alone episodes. So anyway, there will be more interesting info from this book. Stay tuned - Same bat-time, same bat-channel. (That is what the announcer always said at the end of part one.)