How to Lie with Statistics
A surprising statistical claim is a challenge to our existing worldview. It may provoke an emotional response—even a fearful one.
Tim Harford • The Data Detective
Because people love numbers. No matter how phony they are.
Debbie Millman • Brand Thinking and Other Noble Pursuits
We should try not to think in percentages. When the data is presented to us in percentages (for example, 1 percent of assets under management), we should do the extra work and figure out how much money is really on the line. The money in our pocket is tangible; it exists in absolutes—$100 is $100.
Dan Ariely • Dollars and Sense
In numerous experiments, people react very differently to the information that “ninety of one hundred are alive” than to “ten of one hundred are dead”—even though the content of the two statements is exactly the same.