more spiritual: 1 in 20 less spiritual: 1 in 4
more intelligent: 1 in 100 less intelligent: 1 in 3.7
more athletic: 1 in 20 less athletic: 1 in 7.7
healthier: 1 in 50 less healthy: 1 in 4
SOURCE: Harris Interactive, “Three in Ten Americans with a Tattoo Say Having One Makes Them Feel Sexier,” Harris Poll #15, press release, February 12, 2008.
The odds a person 24 or older with less than a high school diploma has a tattoo are 1 in 2.5 vs. 1 in 7.1 for a person 24 or older with a bachelor’s degree.
SOURCE: AE Laumann, AJ Derick, “Tattoos and Body Piercings in the United States: A National Data Set,” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 55(3), March 26, 2006: 413–421.
Tattoos by Age
SOURCE: Harris Interactive, “Three in Ten Americans with a Tattoo Say Having One Makes Them Feel Sexier,” Harris Poll #15, press release, February 12, 2008.
GENDER WARS
The odds a man 18–50 has ever had both a tattoo and body piercing are 1 in 14.3 vs. 1 in 10 for a woman 18–50.
SOURCE: AE Laumann, AJ Derick, “Tattoos and Body Piercings in the United States: A National Data Set,” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 55(3), March 26, 2006: 413–421.
Tattoo Regrets
The odds an adult with a tattoo does not regret getting it: 1 in 1.2
The odds an adult with a tattoo regrets getting it: 1 in 6.3
SOURCE: Harris Interactive, “Three in Ten Americans with a Tattoo Say Having One Makes Them Feel Sexier,” Harris Poll #15, press release, February 12, 2008.
Characteristics of People Who Meet Criteria for Narcissistic Personality Disorder
The odds a man has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 13
The odds a woman has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 20.8
The odds a never-married adult has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 10.5
The odds a separated, widowed, or divorced adult has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 13.7
The odds a married or cohabitating adult has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 20
The odds an adult 20–29 has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 10.6
The odds an adult 30–44 has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 14.1
The odds an adult 45–64 has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 17.9
The odds an adult 65 or older has ever met DSM-IV criteria for narcissistic personality disorder 1 in 31.3
SOURCE: FS Stinson, DA Dawson, RB Goldstein, SP Chou, B Huang, SM Smith, et al., “Prevalence, Correlates, Disability, and Comorbidity of DSM-IV Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Results from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions,” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 69(7), July 2008: 1033–1045.
ODDS COUPLE
I Betcha Think These Odds Are About You
The odds an adult has ever met the American Psychiatric Association’s criteria for narcissistic personality disorder are 1 in 16.1.
The odds are about the same that a divorced man is 30–34 years old.
SOURCES: FS Stinson, DA Dawson, RB Goldstein, SP Chou, B Huang, SM Smith, et al., “Prevalence, Correlates, Disability, and Comorbidity of DSM-IV Narcissistic Personality Disorder: Results from the Wave 2 National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions,” Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 69(7), July 2008: 1033–1045. US Census Bureau, Age and Sex in the United States: 2009, http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/age/age_sex_2009.html.
Ouch, Don’t Touch!
The odds a person 25–29 has had a major sunburn:
No major sunburns: 1 in 15.9
1–2 major sunburns: 1 in 5
3–5 major sunburns: 1 in 5.1
5 or more major sunburns: 1 in 1.9
SOURCE: D Lazovich, RI Vogel, M Berwick, MA Weinstock, KE Anderson, EM Warshaw, “Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention 19(6), May 26, 2010: 1557–1568.
The odds a tanning facility operator would let a child age 10–12 use the facility: 1 in 1.5
SOURCE: B Balaraman, LK Biesbroeck, SH Lickerman, LA Cornelius, DB Jeffe, “Practices of Unregulated Tanning Facilities in Missouri: Implications for Statewide Legislation,” Pediatrics 131(3), March 1, 2013.
Going—and Going Back—
for That Healthy Glow
The odds a person has ever used a sunless tanning bed: 1 in 2
The odds a person has used a sunless tanning booth:
10 times or fewer: 1 in 7.8
11–24 times: 1 in 11
25–100 times: 1 in 7.5
100 or more times: 1 in 7.1
The odds of using a sunless tanning booth in a year:
Age 14–17: 1 in 18.1
Age 18–24: 1 in 4.6
Age 25 or older: 1 in 7
SOURCES: D Lazovich, RI Vogel, M Berwick, MA Weinstock, KE Anderson, EM Warshaw, “Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention 19(6), May 26, 2010: 1557–1568. National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Cancer Trends Progress Report—2009/2010 Update, April 2010, http://progressreport.cancer.gov.
Sunless Tanning Booths and Skin Cancer
The odds a person diagnosed with skin cancer has used a sunless tanning booth 10 times or fewer 1 in 7.8
The odds a person diagnosed with skin cancer has used a sunless tanning booth 11–24 times 1 in 9
The odds a person diagnosed with skin cancer has used a sunless tanning booth 25–100 times 1 in 6.8
The odds a person diagnosed with skin cancer has used a sunless tanning booth 100 times or more 1 in 4.2
SOURCE: D Lazovich, RI Vogel, M Berwick, MA Weinstock, KE Anderson, EM Warshaw, “Indoor Tanning and Risk of Melanoma: A Case-Control Study in a Highly Exposed Population,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers, & Prevention 19(6), May 26, 2010: 1557–1568.
GENDER WARS
The odds a woman will use an indoor tanning device in a year are 1 in 5.5 compared to 1 in 8.3 for a man.
SOURCE: “Sun Protection” in National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services, Cancer Trends Progress Report—2009/2010 Update, April 2010, http://progressreport.cancer.gov.
Acne by Age
“It’s Not Just a Teen Problem”
SOURCE: CN Collier, JC Harper, WC Cantrell, W Wang, KW Foster, BE Elewski, “The Prevalence of Acne in Adults 20 Years and Older,” Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology 58(1), October 18, 2007: 56–59.
The odds a person 12–54 believes popping pimples causes more acne: 1 in 2
SOURCE: American Acne and Rosacea Society, “‘Popping the Myth’ Survey,” press release, October 2, 2007.
CHAPTER 9
MIND, PSYCHE, AND ADDICTION
HAPPY
The odds a person will report being pretty happy: 1 in 2
SOURCE: P Taylor, C Funk, P Craighill, Are We Happy Yet?, A Social Trends Report. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, February 2006.
How Smart Are We?
Since IQ tests are fitted to a normal distribution, our intelligence is graded “on the curve.” This means that 95% of us are of “normal” intelligence, two standard deviations above and below 100.
What intelligence tests really measure—latent abilities or manifest skills, innate gifts or learned ones—is a subject of ongoing controversy. Since 1904 some have searched for the general or “g factor,” the psychometric holy grail, and others for evidence of cultural factors muddling the very idea of an intellectual g-spot. These folks may have noticed that there is a “g” in eugenics.
T
he target moves, too. Scores worldwide tend to rise over time and those taking older versions of the tests tend to do better. This is generally called the Flynn Effect, after James Flynn, who called this effect reason for a “crisis in confidence” in what is being measured.
Whatever it is we are really measuring and summarizing in a number, it is fascinating that we have been doing it diligently for more than a century and assigning to ourselves based on these numbers titles such as genius or natural-born fool.
SOURCE: JR Flynn, “The Mean IQ of Americans: Massive Gains 1932 to 1978,” Psychological Bulletin 95(1), 1984: 29–51.
ODDS COUPLE
Giants Upon the Earth
The odds a person will have an IQ of 202 or higher, 1 in 200,000,000,000, are a million times higher than the odds a person will be diagnosed with acromegaly in a year, 1 in 200,000.
SOURCES: http://www.iqcomparisonsite.com/IQtable.aspx. S Melmed, “Acromegaly Pathogenesis and Treatment,” Journal of Clinical Investigation 119, 2009: 3189–3202.
The odds a person will meet the membership criteria for Mensa: 1 in 50
The odds a person will meet the membership criteria for the Pi Society: 1 in 1,000,000
SOURCES: 2011 Mensa International Limited, http://www.mensa.org/. The Pi Society, http://www.lygeros.org/PI.
Even if You Aren’t Smart,
Can You Buy a Little Happiness?
We know it can’t buy us love—but can money buy happiness?
Research suggests that money does make people happier, but only to a certain point. In the United States, the odds a person with a family income under $30,000 reports being very happy are 1 in 4.2, compared to 1 in 3 for those with family incomes between $30,000 and $74,999. Beyond that, money continues to have an effect on happiness, but with diminishing returns. The odds are 1 in 2.6 that a person with a family income between $75,000 and $99,999 will report being very happy, and 1 in 2 for a person whose family income is $100,000 or higher.
SOURCE: P Taylor, C Funk, P Craighill, Are We Happy Yet?, A Social Trends Report. Washington, DC: Pew Research Center, February 2006.
Mental Illness
The odds a person will ever be diagnosed with a mental disorder: 1 in 1.7
Things as likely…
A person has employment-based health insurance.
An adult plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day.
An adult regularly tries to eat a healthy breakfast.
SOURCES: “Lifetime Prevalence of DSM-IV/WMH-CIDI Disorders by Sex and Cohort,” National Comorbidity Survey, 2007. US Census Bureau, “Historical Health Insurance Tables: 1999 to 2007,” Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement, http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/hlthins/usernote/schedule.html. National Retail Federation, NRF Valentine’s Day 2010, February 2010. Harris Interactive, “Two-Thirds of U.S. Adults Consider Themselves to Be Healthy Eaters,” March 2006: 1–6.
Is There a Happiness Gene?
The latest development in the growing field of happiness studies purports to have nailed down a specific gene that, according to researchers, “predicts subjective well-being.” It’s a serotonin transporter gene with the name 5-HTT*, and it exists in several forms. The more efficient your form of 5-HTT, the more likely you will be to report a higher degree of satisfaction with your life.
* The 5-HTT gene has several other names, including HTT, SLC6A4, and SERT.
SOURCE: J-E De Neve, JH Fowler, BS Frey, “Genes, Economics, and Happiness,” CESIFO Working Paper No. 2946, Category 12: Empirical and Theoretical Methods, February 2010.
Navigating Life
The odds an adult visited a psychiatrist in the past year: 1 in 22.2
Of those, the odds they made…
1 visit: 1 in 5.4
2–4 visits: 1 in 2.5
5–9 visits: 1 in 5.8
10–19 visits: 1 in 6.2
20–49 visits: 1 in 16.4
50 visits or more: 1 in 62.5
SOURCE: PS Wang, M Land, M Olfson, HA Pincus, KB Wells, RC Kessler, “Twelve-Month Use of Mental Health Services in the United States: Results from the National Comorbidity Survey Replication,” Archives of General Psychiatry 62, June 2005.
GENDER WARS
The Odds an Adult Has Been Diagnosed with:
Major Depressive Disorder
Women: 1 in 5 Men: 1 in 7.6
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder
Women: 1 in 32.3 Men: 1 in 62.5
A Specific Phobia
Women: 1 in 6.3 Men: 1 in 11.2
Social Phobia
Women: 1 in 7.7 Men: 1 in 9
SOURCES: Harvard School of Medicine, “National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R) Appendix Tables,” July 19, 2007. Health, United States, 2007: With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2008.
ODDS COUPLE
Maybe There Is
Something to Worry About
The odds an adult has an anxiety disorder: 1 in 5.2
The odds a man 18–24 will visit a pornographic website once or twice in a month: 1 in 5.2
SOURCES: Harvard School of Medicine, “National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R) Appendix Tables,” July 19, 2007. Book of Odds estimates based on JA Davis, TW Smith, PV Marsden, General Social Surveys, 1972–2008, [CUMULATIVE FILE] [Computer file] ICPSR04691, v. 1., Chicago: National Opinion Research Center, 2009 [producer]; Storrs, CT: Roper Center for Public Opinion Research, University of Connecticut/Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributors].
Panic Disorder
Panic disorder is an anxiety disorder characterized by repeated, unexpected panic attacks with a range of somatic and cognitive symptoms. The criteria for a DSM-IV diagnosis of panic disorder include “discrete periods of fear or discomfort accompanied by at least four somatic or cognitive symptoms.”
The odds:
A person will ever meet the DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 21.3
A woman will ever meet the DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 16.1
A man will ever meet the DSM-IV criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 32.3
A person will ever experience panic attacks but will not meet the criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 17.4
A woman will ever experience panic attacks but will not meet the criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 14
A man will ever experience panic attacks but will not meet the criteria for panic disorder: 1 in 23.2
SOURCE: Book of Odds estimates based on data in Harvard School of Medicine, “National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R) Appendix Tables,” July 19, 2007, and JI Sheikh, GA Leskin, DF Klein, “Gender Differences in Panic Disorder: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey,” American Journal of Psychiatry 159, 2002: 55–58.
Panic Attack Symptoms
Type of cognitive or somatic symptom a person 15–54 with panic disorder experiences during a panic attack:
Heart pounding: 1 in 1.04
Time seems slow or quick: 1 in 1.3
Sweating: 1 in 1.3
Trembling or shaking: 1 in 1.3
Pain in the chest: 1 in 1.4
Shortness of breath: 1 in 1.5
Dizziness or lightheadedness: 1 in 1.6
Hot flashes or chills: 1 in 1.6
Things seem unreal: 1 in 1.7
Dry mouth: 1 in 1.8
Feeling faint: 1 in 1.8
Feeling smothered: 1 in 1.8
Fear of acting crazy: 1 in 1.9
Pain in the stomach: 1 in 1.9
Fear of dying: 1 in 2.0
Feet tingling or numbness: 1 in 2.4
Nausea: 1 in 2.4
Choking or difficulty swallowing: 1 in 2.4
SOURCE: Book of Odds estimates based on JI Sheikh, GA Leskin, DF Klein, “Gender Differences in Panic Disorder: Findings from the National Comorbidity Survey,” American Journal of Psychiatry 159, 2002: 55–58.
The Odds a Person Who Will Ever Be Diagnosed with a Panic Disorder First Experienced It:
&nbs
p; Before age 7: 1 in 20
Before age 11: 1 in 10
Before age 17: 1 in 4
Before age 25: 1 in 2
SOURCE: RC Kessler, P Burglund, O Demler, R Jin, KR Merikangas, EE Walters, “Lifetime Prevalence and Age-of-Onset Distribution of DSM-IV Disorders in the National Comorbidity Survey Replication,” Archives of General Psychiatry 62, June 2005.
Bipolar Diagnosis by Age
The odds an adult 18–29 has ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder: 1 in 14.3
The odds an adult 30–44 has ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder: 1 in 18.9
The odds an adult 45–59 has ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder: 1 in 27
The odds an adult 60 or older has ever been diagnosed with bipolar disorder: 1 in 76.9
SOURCE: Harvard School of Medicine, “National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R) Appendix Tables,” July 19, 2007.
GENDER WARS
The Odds an Adult Will Report Using Antidepressants in a Month
Women: 1 in 9.4 Men: 1 in 19.2
SOURCE: Health, United States, 2007: With Chartbook on Trends in the Health of Americans, Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics, 2008.
The Odds an Adult Has Ever Been Diagnosed With
Major Depressive Disorder:
Age 18–29: 1 in 6.3
Age 30–44: 1 in 5.2
Age: 45–59: 1 in 5
Age 60 or older: 1 in 9.4
SOURCE: Harvard School of Medicine, “National Comorbidity Survey (NCS-R) Appendix Tables,” July 19, 2007.
Depression and Other Disorders
The odds a person with major depression also has:
SOURCE: BF Grant, FS Stinson, DA Dawson, SP Chou, MC Dufour, W Compton, RP Pickering, “Prevalence and Co-occurrence of Substance Use Disorders and Independent Mood and Anxiety Disorders,” Archives of General Psychiatry 61, 2004: 807–816.
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