Statistically cautious…

As Samuel Clemens (AKA Mark Twain) said:

There are three kinds of lies;

– lies,

– damned lies, and

– statistics.

Statistical analysis is a powerful tool to make sense out of an otherwise overwhelming amount of data, but care must be taken because that same analysis can skew the results in some cases to make powerful (and incorrect) assertions about coincidental data that otherwise has no direct correlation.

For example, I have statistical evidence that can definitive PROVE that marriage is a bad, if not dangerous proposition that should be avoided at all costs.

Simply put:

• 50% of marriages end with divorce
• The other 50% end with the death of one or both partners.

Scary.

Of course, 9 out of 10 times statistics are made up.

Try this for some other fascinating statistically irrelevant correlations:  Spurious Correlations