Dec 3, 2017 05:55 AM
http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/were-th...st-made-up
EXCERPT: Nicolas Guéguen is a psychologist who publishes lots of gender studies that seem uniquely appropriate to the internet era. They traffic in catchy, off-kilter social psychology subject matter that practically begs for a click, such as Time’s “Science Proves It: Men Really Do Find High Heels Sexier.” (Did you just click that headline? Lord knows a lot of people did.)
We’re talking about studies like:
“Weather and courtship behavior: A quasi-experiment with the flirty sunshine” — This looks at the effect of sunshine on romance.
“Waitresses’ facial cosmetics and tipping: A field experiment” and “The Interviewer Wore a Flower in Her Hair” — Here’s how Guéguen says to get better tips if you’re a waitress.
“Hitchhiking women’s hair color” — Spoiler: blondes get more rides.
“Effect of an Interviewer's Tactile Contact on Willingness to Disclose Voting Choice” — Someone’s more likely to tell you who they’re voting for if you touch them.
Now, apart from Guéguen’s tone-deaf “how men like their women” focus, looks a lot like he just made up a lot of this stuff. Scientists Nick Brown and James Heathers have been looking into his studies and finding little but red flags. The two have contacted the French Psychological Society (SFP) regarding their concerns, which they eventually narrowed down to 10 Guéguen papers in particular.
Their interest began after Brown encountered one Guéguen study, “Study finds that men are less likely to help a woman with a ponytail.” Brown tells Ars Technica, “That evening, I was talking to James about [something else entirely] and mentioned the paper in passing. And he kind of fell about laughing.”
A little too tidy?
A closer look at study’s supporting data revealed a highly suspicious statistical oddity....
MORE: http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/were-th...st-made-up
EXCERPT: Nicolas Guéguen is a psychologist who publishes lots of gender studies that seem uniquely appropriate to the internet era. They traffic in catchy, off-kilter social psychology subject matter that practically begs for a click, such as Time’s “Science Proves It: Men Really Do Find High Heels Sexier.” (Did you just click that headline? Lord knows a lot of people did.)
We’re talking about studies like:
“Weather and courtship behavior: A quasi-experiment with the flirty sunshine” — This looks at the effect of sunshine on romance.
“Waitresses’ facial cosmetics and tipping: A field experiment” and “The Interviewer Wore a Flower in Her Hair” — Here’s how Guéguen says to get better tips if you’re a waitress.
“Hitchhiking women’s hair color” — Spoiler: blondes get more rides.
“Effect of an Interviewer's Tactile Contact on Willingness to Disclose Voting Choice” — Someone’s more likely to tell you who they’re voting for if you touch them.
Now, apart from Guéguen’s tone-deaf “how men like their women” focus, looks a lot like he just made up a lot of this stuff. Scientists Nick Brown and James Heathers have been looking into his studies and finding little but red flags. The two have contacted the French Psychological Society (SFP) regarding their concerns, which they eventually narrowed down to 10 Guéguen papers in particular.
Their interest began after Brown encountered one Guéguen study, “Study finds that men are less likely to help a woman with a ponytail.” Brown tells Ars Technica, “That evening, I was talking to James about [something else entirely] and mentioned the paper in passing. And he kind of fell about laughing.”
A little too tidy?
A closer look at study’s supporting data revealed a highly suspicious statistical oddity....
MORE: http://bigthink.com/robby-berman/were-th...st-made-up