Researchers spend billions of dollars annually producing studies that both educate and stimulate us. Unfortunately, not all of these studies are necessarily worth the money spent.
Here are some of the Most Obvious Studies of 2008 (a.k.a., a waste of time and money).
- 1. Study finds: People who exercise are less fat than people who sit on the couch all day eating chips and watching Oprah.
- Researchers at the University of Michigan found that people who added 20 to 40 minutes of walking a day lost a small but steady amount of weight. The lead researcher also noted that changing eating habits could help lose even more weight. Why are we still researching whether or not exercise is good for you? It's a no brainer. Going for a run is more beneficial to your health than sitting on your butt with a bag of greasy junk food. We really don't need to spend any more money on this. NEXT.
2. Study finds: Young children are a little frightened by clowns.
Researchers from the British University of Sheffield who were examining how to improve the decor of hospital children’s wards found ALL the 250 patients aged between 4 and 16 disliked the use of clowns, with even the older ones finding them scary. “As adults we make assumptions about what works for children,” said a senior lecturer at the university. “We found that clowns are universally disliked by children. Some found them quite frightening.”
3. Study finds: Women don’t like to be told they look fat.
A national survey found 68% of men have lied when asked by a woman: “Do I look fat in this?” The other 32% of respondents were said to have recently been dumped by their girlfriends or wives.
4. Study finds: Smoking is not good for you, even in a car.
University of Waterloo scientists conducted a study that established that smoking, which is hazardous absolutely every place it is pursued, including the house, the office, in elevators, crowded rooms, uncrowded rooms, lobbies, bus shelters, bars, restaurants, small caves in southern France, in the upstairs bathroom when you think your parents won’t notice and in every other conceivable location, is also dangerous in cars. The study said second-hand smoke “reaches unhealthy levels in cars, even under realistic ventilation conditions,” which is scientist-speak for “with the window open a crack.”
5. Study finds: People who think the government wastes their money may cheat on their tax returns.
Or, put another way: “People who think the federal government is spending public money unwisely are more likely to believe that it is acceptable to cheat on their taxes, according to research prepared for the Canada Revenue Agency.” But even the honest tax payers were not about to tell their wives they look fat in those jeans.
6. Study finds: Bullies tend to have problems relating to others.
A University of Toronto study found that children who consistently bully tend to be “morally disengaged and lack compassion for their victims and guilt for their actions,” according to a report in The Globe and Mail. This contradicts earlier theories that bullies are actually just loveable children who think other kids enjoy having their lunch mashed into their face at recess.
7. Study finds: People are intrigued by sex.
A survey by a French research firm resulted in this conclusion from a consultant who was no doubt paid a lot of money for her work: “Sex sells whatever the medium,” said Sheily Lemon of International Medias Consultants Associes.
8. Study finds: People who cannot afford cars are more likely to take public transit.
A Statistics Canada study found workers in the Toronto region under the age of 25 were more likely to pick “green” commuting options than their older co-workers, who presumably make more money and thus have better options than packing themselves into a crowded streetcar twice a day.
9. Study finds: People are not so honest online.
Matches made over the Internet often do not last because people end up choosing unsuitable partners and forming emotional bonds before meeting face-to-face, an Australian researcher found. The Reuters report on the study provided the following insight on the online world from an expert source: “You can never assume things are the way they seem online."
10. Study finds: People put on more clothes when it’s cold.
A study in the journal Current Anthropology found that, and we quote, “The use of clothing among Australian Aborigines in relation to their thermal environment indicates that clothing was a behavioral adaptation to cold exposure.” This is a fancy way of saying people with chilly toes are more likely to wear socks.
11. Study finds: Getting fired is disappointing.
University of Toronto research found that a pink slip can be disappointing even to people who consider themselves optimistic. “Even if your general outlook is positive, losing a job can significantly alter how you evaluate your life,” one professor noted. Optimists also tended to find it disappointing when they were romantically dumped, a pet died, or they whacked their thumb with a hammer.
12. Study finds: Romantic comedies perhaps a bit unrealistic.
The Family and Personal Relationships Laboratory at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh determined that fans of romantic comedies such as Notting Hill, You’ve Got Mail and While You Were Sleeping developed unrealistic expectations of love. They found fans of such fans had stronger beliefs in fate and predestined love and also that they often “fail to communicate with their partner.” This is probably because if they did communicate with their partner, he would say no thanks to the prospect of sitting through another crappy Sandra Bullock movie.
13. Study finds: Teenaged drivers less careful than seniors.
Older drivers are more likely to drive responsibly when they have passengers in their car than younger drivers, said researchers from the University of Windsor. They are also more likely to drive slowly in the right-hand lane with their blinkers still on.
Well that was the hardest I've laughed in a while. Perhaps this research money would have been better spent on finding cures for things like cancer, autism, leukemia, diabetes, etc.
via National Post
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haha um, duh! number eight, lol.
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