The True/False Quirkology Quiz That May Surprise You!

I recently finished reading the book Quirkology: How We Discover The Big Truth In Small Things by psychologist Richard Wiseman.

                                           

This book discusses numerous studies about often peculiar human behavior and certainly provides a lot of food for thought. I created a true/false quiz to share five points of the book that I found to be the most intriguing. How many can you get right? I hope you enjoy learning about these fascinating facts as much as I did!

The Questions!

1. True or False? Many seemingly supernatural or ghostly experiences are actually a result of low frequency sound waves.

2. True or False? Woman van drivers are less likely than others to take more than 10 items through the supermarket express lane.

3. True or False? People born in warmer months may be luckier than those born in the colder months.

4. True or False? The best way to detect a lie is to look rather than listen.

5. True or False? People would rather wear a shirt that has been dropped in dog feces and not washed than one that once belonged to a mass murderer.

The Answers!

1.  True or False? Many seemingly supernatural or ghostly experiences are actually a result of low frequency sound waves. True! Although these sound waves, referred to as "infrasound", cannot be heard by the human ear, they carry energy which may be capable or producing strange effects. Certain frequencies may cause distortion of vision, move objects, or cause weird flickering of a candle flame, all things that one might blame on a place being "haunted." Wiseman tested this theory by doing a study in which two concerts were performed in an auditorium that were identical except for the timing of infrasound waves, and then seeing how this effected how the audience felt about the music. As expected, the audience reported significantly more unusual experiences during the parts that incorporated the infrasound waves.

2.  True or False? Woman van drivers are less likely than others to take more than 10 items through the supermarket express lane. False! Women van drivers are not only the most likely to break the express lane rules, studies also suggest that they are more likely to speed, ignore stop signs, and park in prohibited areas.

3.  True or False? People born in warmer months may be luckier than those born in the colder months. True! Studies show the time of year that you are born may matter when it comes to luck. Also, in general, those with summer births appear to be bigger risk takers. The are various possibilities suggested for an effect most related to how the cold temperatures effect babies or the birth mothers. Although it's certainly fascinating how the temperature around the time of birth may effect one's future personality, the difference between the average luck and risk adversity of summer and winter babies is not extremely significantly and of course there are lots of exceptions. I, myself, was a November baby and I consider myself both lucky and an above average risk taker!

4.  True or False? The best way to detect a lie is to look rather than listen. False! What liars say can actually be more helpful when trying to determine if they are telling the truth. When lying, people tend to say less, give fewer details, and use personal adjectives such as "I" less than people that are telling the truth.

5.  True or False? People would rather wear a shirt that has been dropped in dog feces and not washed than one that once belonged to a mass murderer. True! The idea of wearing something that had once belonged
 to someone who personified evil appears to be more disturbing to most people, than the disgust and potential health concerns of wearing something that has touched dog feces.