The scientific study of society.
Questions tagged [sociology]
103 questions
21
votes
3 answers
Are the chances of dying each day 1 : 250 000?
I've read the odds of dying as around 1 : 250 000 each day, which presumably is based on the global death rate. I use this when people buy lottery tickets to point out they have more chance of dying than winning the money. This forum thread is one…
Chris S
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Do dentists have an unusually high suicide rate?
Source
It seems to be a common belief and I have heard it mentioned in movies (e.g. The Whole Nine Yards) and TV shows (e.g. Seinfeld):
Dentists have the highest suicide rate
of any profession
I don't really see a reason why dentists should be…
Oliver_C
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17
votes
1 answer
Does addressing the issues focused on by the Broken Windows theory have a measurable impact on crime?
These are excerpts from what could be considered the source for the Broken Windows theory (emphasis added):
[A]t the community level, disorder and crime are usually inextricably linked, in a kind of
developmental sequence. Social psychologists…
MrHen
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17
votes
2 answers
Did 'Key Parties' ever exist?
According to Wikipedia,a key party is a:
a form of swinger party, in which male partners place their car and house keys into a common bowl or bag on arriving. At the end of the evening the female partners would randomly select keys from the bowl…
gnometorule
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17
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0 answers
Does science fiction inspire significant amounts of people to pursue STEM careers?
It's a common belief within the science fiction community that sci-fi has motivated a lot of people to pursue careers as scientists and engineers. A brief search finds many anecdotal accounts where people credit sci-fi for their scientific career,…
Kaj_Sotala
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16
votes
2 answers
Does money correlate with happiness at a certain level?
I read various claims, but this HowStuffWorks article seems the most representative (bolding is all mine):
The one place that money and happiness are significantly linked is
when a person is unable to afford to meet their basic needs. There
is…
Jesvin Jose
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15
votes
3 answers
Does having more women in a group increase its collective intelligence?
Various reputable media outlets have written articles down through the years to the effect that the higher the ratio of women in a group, the higher its collective intelligence.
Examples online:
Huffington Post: The Collective Intelligence of…
badroit
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15
votes
1 answer
Does 'Rubber Necking' happen after an accident?
When two cars get into an accident the cars around them need to slow down to avoid hitting the cars involved in the collision. This causes a backup in traffic. People have often told me that traffic around an accident is caused by people 'rubber…
TurqMage
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15
votes
2 answers
Does "raising awareness" have a meaningful impact?
People often talk about the indirect value of "raising awareness" or "consciousness raising".
For issues that most people already know about (like cancer), is there value to raising awareness?
user9048
14
votes
3 answers
Is prostitution the oldest profession?
The Oxford Dictionary describes "Prostitution" as
the practice or occupation of engaging in sexual activity with someone
for payment
It is often referred to as "the oldest profession", e.g.
when you search for "Oldest Profession " on Wikipedia…
Oliver_C
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14
votes
1 answer
Is there a significant difference between voters' and non-voters' preferences in political elections?
When discussing political campaigns where voting is optional, it is often advocated that everyone (who can legally do so) should vote:
Example
Example
Example
It's reasonable to conclude that the people pushing such campaigns must believe that…
Uwat
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14
votes
1 answer
If 1 in 10 is convinced, will the rest follow?
This sounds completely bogus to me, but the source is reputable:
Scientists at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have found that when just 10 percent of the population holds an unshakable belief, their belief will always be adopted by the majority…
Sklivvz
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14
votes
1 answer
Did Margaret Mead say that a healed femur is the earliest sign of civilization?
A 1997 issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons, in an article I could not identify, contains the following story:
The noted, late anthropologist, Margaret Mead, was once asked, "What was the first sign of human civilization?" The…
Avery
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14
votes
1 answer
Do team-bonding exercises promote distrust?
In Barking Up the Wrong Tree, author Eric Barker makes the claim:
You can't rely on HR team-bonding exercises; studies show they're only effective at building distrust.
-- Chapter 4
There is no citation, and my attempts to find relevant studies on…
Flimzy
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14
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Does swearing give people the impression that you are from a lower social class?
Kinja.com published an article called Swearing and Its Socioeconomic Baggage:
One of the most common complaint against swearing was the socio-economic baggage attached to it — simply put, that swearing often gives people the impression that you are…
Christian
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