Conventional thinking:  I should live in one of the cities mentioned in Money magazine as one of the 10 best places to live in America. I should go to one of the top 10 schools mentioned in Business Week.  I should invest in the top 10 stocks listed on Kiplinger.  I should not eat fish more than twice a week to avoid mercury contamination.  I should stop drinking coffee because 20% of coffee drinkers suffer from anxiety.  In the United States___ of the population suffers from ____ because they do ____.   You fill in the blanks.

Contrarian thought:  Every mediocre option is in someone’s top 10 list.  Most studies that show that something is good for you will be contradicted by another study that shows just the opposite.  Someone will always come up with some statistic to prove a point.

Here are some suggestions on how to look at top 10 lists, studies and statistics:

Top 10 Lists

Top 10 lists are good attention grabbers that sell lots of magazines and newspapers.  Everyone loves to see their favorite city, school, team, you name it, in a top 10 list.  The reality of it is that top 10 lists are very subjective.  What is a top 10 choice for someone else may be the wrong choice for you. 

Studies

Fish is good for your heart.  Fish causes cancer.  Eating fatty foods makes you gain wait.  Eating fatty foods help you lose weight.  Coffee is bad for you.  Coffee is good for you.  You get the point.  If you listen to every study out there you will be so confused you will stop living your life.

Statistics

The next time someone mentions a statistic to convince you of something, don’t argue with it.  Simply respond: “And did you know that 68% of all statistics are made up on the spot?”

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