Kent Hendricks, a marketing professional at HarperCollins Publishers, has read a book or two each week since 2007. This week, he shared his fascinating list of "52 Things I Learned in 2024." Here are some of them:
- Doctors are 14% more likely to diagnose a child with ADHD on October 31, not because there are more kids with ADHD, but because the kids are excited to go trick-or-treating. ("Halloween, ADHD, and Subjectivity in Medical Diagnosis")
- When men feel their masculinity is threatened, they are 24 percentage-points more likely to want to buy an SUV. They are also willing to pay $7,320 more than non-threatened men for the same vehicle. ("Overdoing Gender: A Test of the Masculine Overcompensation Thesis")
- Swearing improves grip strength by 9%, wall sit time by 22%, and plank time by 12%. ("Effect of swearing on physical performance")
- Walking speed on the streets of New York, Boston, and Philadelphia has increased 15% since 1979. ("Shifting Patterns of Social Interaction: Exploring the Social Life of Urban Spaces Through A.I.")
- It takes twice as long to cook a chicken today compared to 100 years ago because twenty-first century chickens get less exercise. (The Essential New York Times Cookbook)
(via Kottke)
Previously:
• Wired co-founder Kevin Kelly unveils 73 nuggets of wisdom for a life well-lived
• Kevin Kelly offers 99 pieces of good advice: 'Being wise means having more questions than answers.'
• 'Ask Croz,' life advice from David Crosby