If the human brain were so simple that we could understand it, we would be so simple that we couldn’t. Emerson M. Pugh
For as long as I can remember, I have drawn correlations. Some relate to how much an acquaintance–or family member–looks like an actor I watched the night before. Robert Duvall always reminds me of my daddy, for example.
Other connections I make and frequently wonder about are less superficial. Is there a correlation between individuals’ food choices, for example, and certain abilities? Does the latter drive them to certain career choices? You may think that is intuitive, and if so, I’d have to respectfully disagree. Sometimes people are in careers they are mentally and physically suited for, but frequently people select their life’s work according to what they love to do. Novel concept, that, but I digress. All of this would make a great dissertation topic, but since pursuing a PhD is likely out of scope for most of us, let’s just look at examples and speculate.
I recently conducted an informal survey to discern whether it’s all in my head or perhaps whether ‘it’ lives among you. My numbers are not credible, as I don’t have thousands of Facebook followers, and those I do have may be obligated in better ways than helping me prove a point. The preliminary indications are still intriguing, though. You can see all the questions here, but those that I am mentioning questioned whether people preferred:
- Sweet snacks over savory
- Algebra over Geometry
- GPS over reading a map and
- Eating slaw on a sandwich. Or not.
- Random other condiments
This is in no way a reliable test. However, based on the responses I gathered, 66% of the people who were more proficient at Geometry than Algebra are better at map reading. Or at least they prefer that method over using a GPS to tell them where to go. 83% of those oddly-talented people don’t put slaw on their sandwich, while 63% of those who preferred Algebra do. When correlating those who binge on sweet snacks as opposed to savory, those who can remove the mystery from a geometric theorem held a majority of 66%. Those who preferred Algebra were pretty evenly split on the sweet/savory question.
What did I prove? First, that I didn’t answer my own question – not yet. Also, that I have a lot to learn about writing surveys. I need to work on determining correlations in a more efficient manner. I’ll continue to work on this one to make sure I didn’t misrepresent anything and to see if there are additional threads to pull. Stay tuned on that, at which time you’ll also see how music tempo plays into this. Pun intended.
Before I leave the results, though, let me say this. Before I ran this survey I didn’t realize from first-hand experience just how much I could skew survey results by leaving out details. I’ll be explaining more on that when the final, more closely reviewed results are in. For now, back to me.
Regardless of my friends’ choices, for good or evil, I am on the side of hot dogs with mustard, savory snacks, and Hunt’s catsup (I’m in a serious minority here – apparently most of my friends love Heinz. Go figure). I want slaw on my barbeque and I have little use for cold sandwiches. I am no good at map reading and wouldn’t get anywhere without my GPS. And I loved algebra, as you may know from reading a prior post.
Even though this exercise didn’t go as anticipated, I still learned a lot in the process, in researching, and in execution of the results. For example, geometry can improve your life, according to the Math Worksheet Center. Anyway, every time I learn something new, I am amazed at the brain’s complexity and how it drives us. Some of us are able to re-wire our brains a bit. Perhaps that can be facilitated with learning, and I’m not simply referring to biology. The more you know about any one thing, the more it can change your view of people who have an incredible amount of knowledge in that area, or an incredible talent. Allow me to provide two examples.
Long ago I attended the Indy 500. I know next to nothing about racing–the strategy or the cars–and I have to admit I didn’t get much out of the experience. The frigid, rainy weather didn’t help, but that’s my personal problem. If I had known more, I would have better appreciated the way I spent my time that day.
Along that train of thought is the change in your attitude as you begin to learn. I have recently begun to take an interest in dulcimers, and have had the opportunity to enjoy a few lessons. You cannot imagine the difference a little knowledge makes in your perspective. Now when I watch people playing anything with strings, I’ll be paying attention to the way they hold their fingers, the pick, and how they handle the instruments. I have to admit that until now I never gave any thought to the challenges presented in the attempt to produce a sound that engages listeners. That is, in a positive way.
Now I’m wondering whether the survey questions would have been better designed if the author (yes, I’m guilty) was more skilled at music, or racing strategy or even higher math. Would one of those kinds of people be more discerning with the questions and possible answers? I can’t answer that. I only know that the next time I add mustard to a hamburger, but only mayonnaise to a cheeseburger, I’ll wonder if it’s my wiring and not my choice.
You?
Gayle, when I answered the question Algebra or Geometry, I chose geometry because I had to pick one. I’ve never taken a geometry class but chose it because I flunked out of Algebra🥴
Ellen – you have confirmed one of the problematic issues with the survey, and therefore a critical challenge in pulling meaningful results from the responses. This is one of the points I’ll address when I return to this topic in a future blog. As an aside, while I’m sad you didn’t enjoy Algebra, it does make me feel a little better about having no talent as a seamstress. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯