![]() And these responses reflect numerical properties, most clearly size and divisibility by either 2 or 5. ![]() ![]() In other words, when asked to project non-mathematical meanings on to numbers, or to react emotionally to them, our responses are remarkably coherent. Data from this experiment showed that even numbers and ones ending in 5 are much better liked than the other odd numbers. Numbers ending 1, 2 or 3 are generally more excitable than the others, and even numbers are the most calm.ĭan King of the National University of Singapore and Chris Janiszewski of the University of Florida asked participants whether they liked, disliked or felt neutral about every number between 1 and 100, as the numbers appeared in random order on a screen. Her results showed quite clearly that, in general, even numbers are seen as good, and odd numbers bad. Marisca Milikowski of the University of Amsterdam set up an experiment in which participants were shown all the numbers between 1 and 100 and asked to rank each number on a scale between good and bad, and between excitable and calm. (Although I would wager than any professional poll would find the same results.) Yet academic studies that have investigated our emotional responses to numbers have found that they follow clear patterns. The survey, which attracted 44,000 participants, was self-selecting and therefore did not conform to the rigorous standards of a laboratory experiment. Seven polled the highest in my global survey, making it – in my opinion – the world's favourite number, a result I revealed last week on my Guardian blog, and which was written up in news outlets across the world. Like a nice and clever woman," added a Hungarian man, aged 20. " has great symbolic value as an expression of Muslim belief and the miracles of God," wrote a 25-year-old man in Lebanon. " cheers me up and gives me a feeling of comfort," said a female participant, aged 48, from Norway.
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