# What statistic would like to magically appear over others' heads? (read OP for limitations) **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [March 8, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103 "2020-03-08T14:11:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 2:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/1 "2020-03-08T14:11:47Z")
You have been gifted the ability to view whatever statistic you wish about anyone you wish at any moment you wish. Note that: [ul] [li]The ability is turned off by default. You enable it each time.[/li][li]You may only use the ability once per day.[/li][li]You may request any of 3 stats, determined by you.[/li][li]Your 3 standard stats may only be revised once a year.[/li][li]The stats must be expressed in the form of a numeral or percentage.[/li][/ul] What 3 stats would you like to enable for the next 12 months? Why? mmm ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/2 "2020-03-08T14:53:47Z")
I don’t think I wanna know. I don’t want to be able to read minds either. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/3 "2020-03-08T16:49:00Z")
(1) Age (applicable to both genders) (2) Percentage liklihood that the person will have sex with me. (women) (3) How many times they have been in bar fights. (men) ---
**Author:** ![thorny\_locust](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thorny_locust/32/431_2.png) [@thorny\_locust](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thorny_locust)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/4 "2020-03-08T19:25:04Z")
1. Likelihood that the person is telling the truth 2. Likelihood that the person will get angry if I disagree with them 3. Chances that I’ll benefit from trying to sell them produce – if I change my mind, do I have to wait a year to say so in this thread? ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/5 "2020-03-08T19:40:35Z")
1. Are you lying? 2. Do you know you’re lying? 3. What’s the chance that, if I alert you to the lie, you’ll change your point of view? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/6 "2020-03-08T19:48:35Z")
> [@susan](#): > > 1. Are you lying? > 2. Do you know you’re lying?.. Sorry, both violate condition #5. mmm ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 8:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/7 "2020-03-08T20:10:14Z")
What, no categorical stats? Okay, 1. What is the likelihood you are lying? 2. What is the likelihood you know you’re lying? 3. What’s the chance that, if I alert you to the lie, you’ll change your point of view? ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/8 "2020-03-08T21:15:38Z")
I’m tempted to make it a betting stat, such as: -What’s the total face value of all the cards in your hand? Or to try to break the system, -Assigning a value to each card in a deck from 1 to 52, according to this complicated formula, what number would be created by listing the cards in your hand in order from left to right? e.g., if your cards’ values are 3, 13, 5, 34, and 45, the statistic would be 31,353,445. If I am being a little less of an asshole, -How many lies has this person told in the past sixty seconds? ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2020, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/9 "2020-03-08T22:34:34Z")
> [@susan](#): > > What, no categorical stats? Okay, > > 1. What is the likelihood you are lying? > 2. What is the likelihood you know you’re lying? > 3. What’s the chance that, if I alert you to the lie, you’ll change your point of view? Recall that you are limited to one question per day. Could be a long weekend. 🙂 mmm ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/10 "2020-03-09T00:54:50Z")
It’s all I really need to know. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/11 "2020-03-09T01:10:08Z")
1. Is this person in a committed relationship? 0% - no, 100% - yes (and any weird numbers like 23% would be telling also) 2. What % of the time is this person truthful? 3. How many times a week does this person discuss politics? ---
**Author:** ![Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/half_man_half_wit/32/21766_2.png) [@Half\_Man\_Half\_Wit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Half_Man_Half_Wit)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/12 "2020-03-09T11:31:51Z")
Can I use it on myself? If so, I only need ‘likelihood that what I am saying right now is true’. Then start finding out what’s what. If not, I’ll need two: ‘likelihood that they’ll repeat whatever I tell them to repeat’, and ‘likelihood that what they’re saying right now is true’. ---
**Author:** ![ASGuy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/838e76/32.png) [@ASGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ASGuy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/13 "2020-03-09T13:31:54Z")
This is fun. Thanks **mmm**. Now I’m on year 2. (1) Age. (2) What is your liquid net worth, in euros. (3) How many times have you been married? (Remember, zero is a number.) ---
**Author:** ![steatopygia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steatopygia/32/3132_2.png) [@steatopygia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steatopygia)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 2:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/14 "2020-03-09T14:39:27Z")
I find that I can tell an awfully lot about a person by ONE statistic. “Watches Fox news …%” ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/15 "2020-03-09T21:59:47Z")
> [@steatopygia](#): > > I find that I can tell an awfully lot about a person by ONE statistic. > > “Watches Fox news …%” That’s a good one; people who watch Fox don’t even know they are believing lies. So I would want 1. What percentage of the time is what you say true? 2. What percentage of the time do you intentionally lie? 3. What percentage of your news watching and listening comes from Fox? ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2020, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/16 "2020-03-09T23:51:13Z")
Great christ, that was a lot of specific parameters and rules. Can’t say I parsed the whole list, if I’m being honest. (Might as well be, y’all gonna read that statistic about me anyway!) Mine: - how many times in the past … oh, let’s say 5 years, has this person deliberately been a complete asshole, and regrets it, feels ashamed or remorseful or wishes they could take it back? - how many times in the past five years has this person deliberately been a complete asshole, and regrets not one tiny bit of it, no remorse, would do it again with zero regret? - what % do they usually tip? (Or, for better accuracy, what % do they usually _think_ they tip? Some of us aren’t liars so much as we’re very bad at mental math.) ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/17 "2020-03-11T01:39:10Z")
> [@purplehorseshoe](#): > > Great christ, that was a lot of specific parameters and rules. Can’t say I parsed the whole list, if I’m being honest… Yeah, five is a big number, isn’t it. mmm ---
**Author:** ![Moriarty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/moriarty/32/49_2.png) [@Moriarty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moriarty)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 1:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/18 "2020-03-11T01:47:45Z")
Number of sexual partners Times masturbating this week Kinsey scale score [Yeah, I went with sex. Big woop; wanna fight about it?] ETA: Why? Prurience. ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/19 "2020-03-11T22:18:15Z")
Where will your employer’s stock be valued 1 month from now? 6 months from now? 3 years from now? ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [March 11, 2020, 10:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103/20 "2020-03-11T22:24:17Z")
Religion Trustworthiness% Relationship status (single, widowed, divorced, married, etc.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-statistic-would-like-to-magically-appear-over-others-heads-read-op-for-limitations/849103.md?page=2)