Despite all the hype and hoopla and multi-page spreads, most Americans are planning on doing absolutely no shopping at all on Black Friday, according to a new survey. [More]
studies
America's Top 10 Most Mustache-Friendly Cities
By 9.29.11
The American Mustache Institute, a real organization, has published the results of a two-year study based on empirical research into which cities are the most appealing to those who choose to sport facial hair in the region between their nose and lip. Yes, it’s time for America’s top 10 most “mustache-friendly” cities, 2011. [More]
Science Tells You How To Book So You Avoid Airport Delays And Missed Flights
By 9.1.11
Harvard and MIT scientists have used statistical modeling techniques and figured out what are the best things you can do to avoid airport delays and missed connections. [More]
Study: After 25, After Every Hour Of TV Watched, Lifespan Drops By 22 Minutes
By 8.16.11
Your mom was right. Watching TV is killing you, albeit indirectly. A new study found an association between people watching loads of TV and living shorter lives. So, it’s one of those correlation/causation dealios. Even still, the results were disturbing. By tracking death rates and lifestyle survey responses, the study found that for people over 25, for every hour of TV watched, their lifespan shortened by 22 minutes. [More]
Study: Fancy Cars Make Us Happy, Briefly
By 7.27.11
In an amazing breakthrough for both Science and the study of consumer behavior, researchers have determined that the pleasures of having an expensive car is fleeting and quickly replaced by thinking about the anxieties of day-to-day existence. [More]
Study: People Love Their Cars Because They're Lonely
By 7.22.11
Why do people love their cars? Like really really love love LOVE their cars? More so than any other possession, cars arouse deep emotions in their owners. A study in the Journal of Consumer Research went to five car shows and interviewed car enthusiasts about their passion to try to figure out why. The most far-reaching of their conclusions is that people who love their cars do it, essentially, because they’re lonely. [More]
Fat Gets You High
By 7.8.11
A new study finds that eating fatty foods triggers the release of endocannabinoids in the body, which are marijuana-like chemicals. And the feeling they give you makes you want to continue eating more fatty food. [More]
How Nasty Is Your Bottled Water?
By 7.6.11
Does your bottled water taste funny? It’s not just that it’s probably only tapwater. Environmental Working Group rated 173 brands of bottled water based on their sourcing information, purification, testing, and how transparent the information on their label and website was. Turns out, some of the biggest brands in bottled water are, well, a little murky. [More]
Distracted Shoppers Buy More When There's Some Negative Info
By 6.30.11
Established wisdom is that you should only talk about how awesome your product is. But a new study finds that shoppers in distracted settings tend to buy more when products are marketed with a touch of negative info, what is known as “the blemishing effect.” [More]
Exercising Before Eating Doesn't Increase Fat Burn
By 6.28.11
Contradicting common advice, a new study says that exercising before eating doesn’t increase the amount of fat you burn. You could even be hurting your body! [More]
Study: At 88 Hours, CrateAndBarrel.com Takes Longest To Respond To Emails
By 6.13.11
Going electronic is supposed to be faster and more efficient for retailers and customers, but in some cases you’d be better off just walking into the store to get your questions answered. [More]
Top 10 Dying US Industries Revealed
By 6.8.11
If you work in one of these fields, it might be time to start buffing your resume and taking night classes. [More]
Stuff Bought Through Spam Actually Gets Delivered
By 6.8.11
While most of us don’t trust spam, if you order something advertised through it, be it pills, knockoff Rolex watches, or software, it will probably end up at your door. That’s one of the many surprising conclusions uncovered by researchers tracking exactly how spam works (PDF) from alpha to omega in the transaction process. [More]
Credit Card Reform Worked: Prices Not Increased, Just Clearer
By 6.8.11
Ignore all the haters. Credit card reform in 2009 did its job, making credit cards less confusing and safer for consumers. According to a new study from the Center for Responsible Lending, contrary to popular misconception, the reforms didn’t increase prices for credit cards, it just made the real costs clearer. Banks couldn’t tuck costs in hidden fees and sneaky practices, they had to put them on the sign out front. [More]
The Closer Your Last Name Is To Z, The Faster You Buy
By 6.2.11
A study finds that the closer your last name is to the end of the alphabet, the faster you make purchasing decisions. And yes, the behavior is ingrained in us based on how we all used to line up in school. [More]
Ads Implant Fake Memories In Your Head
By 6.2.11
A new study says that really lifelike commercials are really good at tricking our brains into thinking that not only did they actually happen, but that they are scenes from our lives. [More]
MRI Shows Apple Stimulates Fan's Brain Like Religion
By 5.20.11
Apple fanboys are sometimes referred to as “zealots” or “fanatics” in terms of their devotion to their beloved brand and the intensity with which they defend it and proselytize its virtues. Especially in online comments sections. And it turns out that perhaps those descriptions are not too far off. A recently screened BBC doc Secrets of the Superbrands (unfortunately not available for online streaming in the States) analyzed an MRI of an Apple devotee and found that the brand stimulated the same areas of the brain as religious imagery does to people of faith. [More]
Study Links Flammable Drinking Water To Fracking
By 5.11.11
A new study, the first of its kind, has found links between hydrofracking and water getting contaminated so badly that drinking taps burst into flame when exposed to a lighter. [More]
