Psych Papers

We surveyed a thousand people on how hot and how crazy the top 20 Millennial names are (20 boy names, 20 girl names). We show where the names line up on the hot/crazy scale.

Hottest Millennial Boy Names:

1. Ryan
2. James
3. Nicholas
4. Christopher
5. Michael

Hottest Millennial Girl Names:

1. Samantha
2. Nicole
3. Amber
4. Ashley
5. Brittany

Craziest Millennial Boy Names:

1. Joshua
2. James
3. Ryan
4. Andrew
5. Tyler

Craziest Millennial Girl Names:

1. Ashley
2. Samantha
3. Kayla
4. Melissa
5. Amber

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

We surveyed over 500 people on first date norms. Here are the questions we’ll answer:

1. Who should pay for the first date?
2. What’s the preferred activity for a first date?
3. What level of physical contact is appropriate on a first date?
4. How late is acceptable for someone to arrive on a first date?
5. Is it appropriate to discuss ex-partners on a first date?
6. When should you follow up after a first date?
7. Do people believe in ‘love at first sight’?

Key Takeaways:

• Many people (36%) expect the man to pay. Men especially believe this.
• Coffee (35%) and dinner at a restaurant (28%) were most preferred first date activities 
  • Younger people prefer coffee; older people prefer dinner at a restaurant
• For physical contact, it depends on how the date goes but a hug at minimum is generally appropriate
• Many people (35%) think being up to 10 minutes late is fine
• 34% think it’s appropriate discuss exes 
  • Younger people think it’s more appropriate; older people think it’s not appropriate
• Many people (41%) think you should follow up the next day after the date
• Most people (65%) believe in ‘love at first sight’

We surveyed over 600 people on their dating deal breakers. We provided a list of 29 potential deal breakers and asked participants to select all that would end a relationship for them

Question’s we’ll answer:

• What are the most common deal breakers in dating?
• How does it differ by: 
  • Gender
  • Relationship Status
  • Sexuality

Some key highlights:

• Heavy drinking, smoking cigarettes, and drug use were the most cited deal breakers.
• Women had slightly more deal breakers, on average, compared to men.
• Single people had A LOT more deal breakers, on average, than people in relationships.
• Heterosexual people had the most deal breakers, on average, compared to other sexualities.

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

The Kiki-Bouba effect is a phenomenon where people tend to associate certain sounds with specific shapes. When shown a sharp, angular shape and a soft, rounded shape, and asked which is named "Kiki" and which is "Bouba," most people will label the sharp shape as "Kiki" and the rounded shape as "Bouba." This effect suggests that there is a universal, possibly innate connection between speech sounds and the visual appearance of objects.

This effect is seen across multiple languages and cultures and even observed in children and people born blind.

We connect the kiki/bouba effect to past research we’ve conducted on which boys names and girls names would win in a fight? We surveyed over 500 people per survey and gave them random name pairings and asked who would win in a fight (eg, “David vs. Anthony… who would win in a fight?”). We also connect it to another survey we ran on which letters would win in a fight. Similar setup (eg, “X vs. W… who would win in a fight?”)

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

We surveyed over 500 people on the masculinity and femininity of different table lamps. Yup…

Questions we’ll answer: What’s the most masculine lamp?

• What’s the most feminine lamp?
• What makes a lamp either masculine or feminine?

Some key takeaways:

• Lamps do have gendered associations
• Masculine lamps tend to have: Straight lines / hard edges, Darker colors,  Industrial or modern design elements, Materials like metal or concrete, Minimalist or functional design
• Feminine lamps to have: Soft or curved shapes, Lighter colors, Decorative design elements, Materials like glass or ceramic

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

The decoy effect is a trick used in marketing to make you choose a more expensive option by adding a third, less attractive choice. For example, if you're deciding between a small and a large popcorn, and a medium popcorn is added at a price just below the large, you'll likely go for the large because it seems like a better deal compared to the medium. The less attractive option (the medium) is the "decoy" that makes the large popcorn look like the best choice.

We discuss the different environments (movie theaters, restaurants, subscription services, etc) where this can occur as well as how it relates to the paradox of choice.

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

What do people think about anime fans? Do people prefer subbed or dubbed? We surveyed people on their impressions of anime and whether they think being an anime fan makes you cooler or lamer.

Questions We Answer:

• How popular is anime?
• Do people prefer subbed or dubbed?
• How’s being an anime fan affect impressions?
• What age groups do people think anime is intended for?

Key Findings:

• Anime is very popular. 75% of people have at least watched anime a few times. It’s especially popular among younger crowds.
• More people prefer dubbed over subbed anime.
• 58% of people think being an anime fan makes you cooler.
• Most people think anime is for young adults and adults (18-39 years).
• Anime fans think other anime fans are cool.

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

We conducted a survey to learn whether your phone’s background image can act as a “window to the soul.” In other words, whatever is most important to your wellbeing will most likely be your phone background. So if you want to get to know someone, take a look at their phone background.

Questions we answer:

• What are the most common phone backgrounds?
• What do people value most to their well-being?
• Does your phone’s background image predict what you find most important to your wellbeing?

Key Findings:

• The most common phone backgrounds are (1) Family, (2) Nature or landscape, and (3) your partner or significant other.
• Family is most important to people’s wellbeing, followed by their partner, and then focusing on themselves.
• Phone backgrounds are a good predictor of what people value the most

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.

Beauty = Order and Complexity. Think of the architecture of your favorite museum versus the architecture of a mundane apartment building. Why is one beautiful and the other isn’t? For something to be beautiful, it must have the right balance of order and complexity.

Order refers to the structured, organized, and predictable aspects of an object or environment. In architecture, order can be seen in the symmetry, balance, and clear organization of elements within a building. It provides a sense of coherence and stability, making it easier for our brains to process and understand what we see.

Complexity refers to the intricate, detailed, and varied aspects of an object or environment. In architecture, complexity is found in the richness of details, variety of forms, and the depth of visual interest in a building. It engages our attention and curiosity, providing new patterns and details to discover upon closer inspection.

The idea is that beauty arises from the right balance between order and complexity. Too much order can lead to monotony and boredom, while too much complexity can result in chaos and confusion. A beautiful object or environment, such as the Palace of Versailles, achieves a harmonious balance where there is enough order to provide stability and enough complexity to maintain interest and engagement.

While this view focuses on architectural beauty, it can also be applied to other domains such as art and music.

This view relates to the Prospect and Refuge Theory (Appleton, 1975) that states humans have an innate preference for environments that offer both opportunities for exploration and observation (prospect) and places for shelter and safety (refuge).

Article: https://www.theschooloflife.com/article/the-secret-of-beauty-order-and-complexity/

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Is your preference for lights on/off during sex correlated with whether you keep your eyes open or closed at the dentist? How does this differ by gender? We surveyed 500 people on these topics. Psych PhD Chris Cole and cohost Joseph Tajaran discuss the results in this episode of Psych Papers.

Key Findings:

• People are generally split on whether they keep their eyes open (52%) or closed (48%) at the dentist. Men are slightly more likely to keep their eyes open than women.
• Most people prefer sex with the lights off (60%) compared to on (40%). Men are more likely to prefer sex with the lights on than women.
• People who close their eyes at the dentist are more likely to prefer sex with the lights off.

Check out the video version of this episode on YouTube.