about · email me · subscribe
Spurious correlation #4,614 · View random

A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and the second variable is Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California.  The chart goes from 1980 to 2020, and the two variables track closely in value over that time. Small Image
Download png
, svg

AI explanation

Thaddeus was spreading the word about individual liber-THAD-dee and personal free-WILL! This sparked a THAD-dash of support for the Libertarian candidate, proving that when it comes to politics, Thaddeus not be ignored!

Model: dalle-3
Prompt: Create an image of a bustling California town square where Thaddeus stands at the center, passionately sharing the principles of individual liberty to an animated crowd. The townspeople are diverse in age, race, and attire, engaging in lively discussions. Amidst the gathering, a ballot box overflows with votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate, symbolizing a surge of support for the party's ideals. The scene should exude vibrant energy and convey the enthusiasm for the libertarian philosophy, capturing the essence of freedom and democratic participation in a dynamic and visually compelling way. The depiction should include only scenes, people, and objects, it should not include text or speech bubbles.
This image generation prompt was also generated by AI, using the following sequence:

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You select one of a few potential scene descriptors that seems to go along with the variables described. You respond only with the scene descriptions provided and say nothing else.
User prompt: Here are two variables: Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. Given these, which of the following image style descriptions seems most appropriate? Pick the one that seems to be related to one of the variables at hand. Please respond with only one of the following potential descriptions: Celtic art Surrealism A TIME magazine cover image Glitch art Oragami
ChatGPT: A TIME magazine cover image

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You describe simple visual scenes that depict the two variables stated. You combine both variables into one scene.
User prompt: Please describe a visual scene that prominently depicts both Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California, in the following situation: Thaddeus was spreading the word about individual liber-THAD-dee and personal free-WILL! This sparked a THAD-dash of support for the Libertarian candidate, proving that when it comes to politics, Thaddeus not be ignored!. Keep the description simple.
ChatGPT: In a busy California town square, a large crowd gathers around Thaddeus as he enthusiastically shares the principles of individual liberty. People diverse in ages and attire surround him, engaging in animated conversations. In the midst of the crowd, a ballot box overflows with votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate, signaling a surge of support for the party's ideals.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You write and improve image generation prompts for DALLE-3. You maintain the same subjects, but enhance the visuals.
User prompt: Please respond with an image generation prompt that would be likely to create an interesting visual using DALLE-3, using the following style: [ A TIME magazine cover image ] and depicting this scene: In a busy California town square, a large crowd gathers around Thaddeus as he enthusiastically shares the principles of individual liberty. People diverse in ages and attire surround him, engaging in animated conversations. In the midst of the crowd, a ballot box overflows with votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate, signaling a surge of support for the party's ideals. Keep the visual depiction simple. Do not include any words or speech bubbles.
ChatGPT: Create an image of a bustling California town square where Thaddeus stands at the center, passionately sharing the principles of individual liberty to an animated crowd. The townspeople are diverse in age, race, and attire, engaging in lively discussions. Amidst the gathering, a ballot box overflows with votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate, symbolizing a surge of support for the party's ideals. The scene should exude vibrant energy and convey the enthusiasm for the libertarian philosophy, capturing the essence of freedom and democratic participation in a dynamic and visually compelling way.

*Variations in the User Prompts from chart to chart are just the result of random number generation in Python. I wrote a few arrays of various styles and methods to ask questions to change up the results. Every time this site writes an explanation or generates an image, the script picks from each at random.

I sequence the requests into multiple prompts because I find GPT 3.5 to perform much better with short, well-managed contexts. Thus, I track the context directly in Python and only ask ChatGPT targeted questions.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106 (fine-tuned)
System prompt: You provide humorous responses in the form of plausible sounding explanations for correlations. You assume the correlation is causative for the purpose of the explanation even if it is ridiculous. You do not chat with the user, you only reply with the causal connection explanation and nothing else.
User prompt: Please make up a funny explanation for how increases in Popularity of the first name Thaddeus positively influenced Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. Include one good pun.

AI academic paper

(Because p < 0.01)
Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name

Journal of Eccentric Linguistics

Jan 2024

Reminder: This paper is AI-generated. Not real!
Quick note: This sequence is long and repetitive. That's how the prompt engineering works for this one. I manage the output in Python to format it into this PDF.




Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You write titles and abstracts of goofy academic research papers.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, and add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please draft the title and abstract of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Make the title a clever pun.

Your research team used data from US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to assess this nagging question. You found a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for 1980 to 2020.

Please respond in this format (replace "Lorem ipsum dolor sit" with your title and abstract)

[[TITLE]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit

[[ABSTRACT]]
Lorem ipsum dolor sit



ChatGPT:
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the introduction section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the introduction section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[INTRODUCTION]]



ChatGPT:
[[INTRODUCTION]]

The intersection of politics and naming trends is a curious and oft-overlooked realm of inquiry in the social sciences. Many studies have sought to understand the factors that influence political affiliations, such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and ideological beliefs. However, the potential influence of something as seemingly trivial as a first name on political leanings has been largely unexplored. Enter our tongue-in-cheek investigation into the connection between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.

As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of the death of puns have been greatly exaggerated." With that in mind, let us dive into the pun-documented realm of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies. While it may sound like the setup for a dad joke, our examination of this correlation is no laughing matter (though readers may find themselves chuckling at the controversies this subject uncovers).

Previous research has hinted at the potential influence of names on various life outcomes, from career success to romantic prospects. The name "Thaddeus," with its air of mystique and old-world charm, seems perfectly suited to serve as our protagonist in this offbeat exploration of political behavior. Like a dad telling his favorite name-related joke at a backyard barbecue, we aim to bring a lighthearted yet rigorous approach to our investigation.

The findings of this study promise to shed light on the often underestimated role of nominal factors in shaping political behavior. Will the name "Thaddeus" emerge as a silent influencer of libertarian sentiments, or will our analysis reveal a mere statistical coincidence? As we uncover the interplay between nomenclature and ideology, we invite readers to join us in this whimsical yet substantive inquiry into the "Thaddeus effect" on political preferences. After all, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A good joke is a very nice thing." And who are we to argue with an endorsement like that?


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft a literature review section of an academic research paper, that starts out dry for the first few sentences but then becomes hilarious and goofy.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a literature review section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Speak in the present tense for this section (the authors find...), as is common in academic research paper literature reviews. Name the sources in a format similar to this: In "Book," the authors find lorem and ipsum.

Make up the lorem and ipsum part, but make it sound related to the topic at hand.

Start by naming serious-sounding studies by authors like Smith, Doe, and Jones - but then quickly devolve. Name some real non-fiction books that would be related to the topic. Then name some real fiction books that sound like they could be related. Then devolve ever further, and mention something completely ridiculous, like you conducted literature review by reading CVS receipts.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

-------

And here is the introduction section that led to this literature review:
[[INTRODUCTION]]
The intersection of politics and naming trends is a curious and oft-overlooked realm of inquiry in the social sciences. Many studies have sought to understand the factors that influence political affiliations, such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and ideological beliefs. However, the potential influence of something as seemingly trivial as a first name on political leanings has been largely unexplored. Enter our tongue-in-cheek investigation into the connection between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.
As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of the death of puns have been greatly exaggerated." With that in mind, let us dive into the pun-documented realm of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies. While it may sound like the setup for a dad joke, our examination of this correlation is no laughing matter (though readers may find themselves chuckling at the controversies this subject uncovers).
Previous research has hinted at the potential influence of names on various life outcomes, from career success to romantic prospects. The name "Thaddeus," with its air of mystique and old-world charm, seems perfectly suited to serve as our protagonist in this offbeat exploration of political behavior. Like a dad telling his favorite name-related joke at a backyard barbecue, we aim to bring a lighthearted yet rigorous approach to our investigation.
The findings of this study promise to shed light on the often underestimated role of nominal factors in shaping political behavior. Will the name "Thaddeus" emerge as a silent influencer of libertarian sentiments, or will our analysis reveal a mere statistical coincidence? As we uncover the interplay between nomenclature and ideology, we invite readers to join us in this whimsical yet substantive inquiry into the "Thaddeus effect" on political preferences. After all, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A good joke is a very nice thing." And who are we to argue with an endorsement like that?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]



ChatGPT:
[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

The influence of names on various aspects of life has long been a subject of scholarly inquiry. In their study, Smith et al. (2010) examined the impact of first names on career advancement, finding a correlation between certain names and professional success – a phenomenon they termed the "nominative determinism" effect. Similarly, Doe and Jones (2015) delved into the connection between names and romantic attraction, uncovering intriguing patterns in mate selection based on individuals' monikers. These studies underscore the potential influence of a name on personal outcomes, setting the stage for our investigation into the relationship between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.

As we embark on this unconventional scientific journey, it behooves us to consider the potential theoretical underpinnings of our inquiry. The "Thaddeus effect" harkens back to the age-old debate surrounding the significance of nomenclature in shaping individual proclivities. It brings to mind the words of J.K. Rowling, who remarked in her book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities," although in this case, it may be our name that influences our choices.

Beyond the realm of non-fiction, literature has also offered insights into the potential influence of names on human behavior. In "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the authors discuss the hidden behavioral cues embedded in names, shedding light on the societal implications of naming conventions. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" delves into the power of naming and its impact on individual trajectories, suggesting that a name can serve as a subtle yet significant factor in shaping one's life journey.

Venturing into the world of fiction, we encounter narratives that parallel our inquiry into the influence of "Thaddeus" on libertarian voting tendencies. In "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman, the protagonist's unusual name plays a subtle role in shaping her outlook on life, providing a fictional backdrop for the notion that names can carry profound implications. Meanwhile, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude," the characters' names carry symbolic weight, offering a literary reflection of the potential influence of nomenclature on individual destinies.

In our pursuit of understanding the intersection between the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian voting behaviors, we employed a rigorous approach to gather relevant literature and data. However, it is worth noting that our endeavor also took us down unconventional paths, including an exhaustive review of CVS receipts, where we found no direct evidence of the "Thaddeus effect," but did manage to score some great deals on toothpaste and potato chips. As we navigate this captivating and pun-filled terrain, we invite readers to join us on this whimsical yet enlightening exploration of the correlation between nomenclature and political preferences. After all, in the words of William Shakespeare, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but let's not discount the potential influence of a name on voting behavior just yet.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the methodology section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the methodology section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse . You used data from 1980 to 2020

Make up the research methods you don't know. Make them a bit goofy and convoluted.

Here is the title, abstract, and introduction of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

[[INTRODUCTION]]
The intersection of politics and naming trends is a curious and oft-overlooked realm of inquiry in the social sciences. Many studies have sought to understand the factors that influence political affiliations, such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and ideological beliefs. However, the potential influence of something as seemingly trivial as a first name on political leanings has been largely unexplored. Enter our tongue-in-cheek investigation into the connection between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.
As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of the death of puns have been greatly exaggerated." With that in mind, let us dive into the pun-documented realm of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies. While it may sound like the setup for a dad joke, our examination of this correlation is no laughing matter (though readers may find themselves chuckling at the controversies this subject uncovers).
Previous research has hinted at the potential influence of names on various life outcomes, from career success to romantic prospects. The name "Thaddeus," with its air of mystique and old-world charm, seems perfectly suited to serve as our protagonist in this offbeat exploration of political behavior. Like a dad telling his favorite name-related joke at a backyard barbecue, we aim to bring a lighthearted yet rigorous approach to our investigation.
The findings of this study promise to shed light on the often underestimated role of nominal factors in shaping political behavior. Will the name "Thaddeus" emerge as a silent influencer of libertarian sentiments, or will our analysis reveal a mere statistical coincidence? As we uncover the interplay between nomenclature and ideology, we invite readers to join us in this whimsical yet substantive inquiry into the "Thaddeus effect" on political preferences. After all, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A good joke is a very nice thing." And who are we to argue with an endorsement like that?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[METHODOLOGY]]



ChatGPT:

[[METHODOLOGY]]

To explore the peculiar correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California, we embarked on a whimsical yet methodical journey through the annals of data analysis. Our research team harnessed information from the US Social Security Administration and the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse, encompassing the time span of 1980 to 2020. With a dataset as diverse as a potluck dinner at a statistics convention, we set out to unravel the statistical tapestry of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies.

Our first step involved performing a retrospective cohort study, akin to combing through a treasure trove of name popularity and electoral data with the diligence of a dedicated researcher and the curiosity of a child in a candy store. We aggregated the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" from the Social Security Administration database, continuous with our determination to leave no Thad- unturned in this escapade into nomenclatural whimsy.

Next, we waltzed into the domain of electoral statistics, pooling election results from the MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse, with the finesse of a raconteur regaling his audience with a thoroughly researched anecdote. In this electoral hall of mirrors, we matched the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California with the temporal frequency of the name "Thaddeus," aiming to discern patterns with an acumen as sharp as Occam's razor.

To quantify the strength and direction of the relationship between the popularity of the name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian candidate, we employed the tried and tested method of correlation analysis, much like a seasoned sommelier discerning the nuances of a fine vintage. Through the mystical arts of statistical computing, we calculated the correlation coefficient and associated p-value, allowing us to ascertain the degree of association between these two seemingly disparate entities.

As we sailed through the sea of data, uncovering correlations and disentangling confounders with the enthusiasm of a statistical sleuth, our investigation took on an air of scholarly intrigue interwoven with a hint of playful banter. In the words of a wise dad, "Why don't skeletons fight each other? They don't have the guts." Similarly, armed with statistical rigor and a healthy dose of humor, we delved into this investigation wielding the tools of our trade like friendly jesters performing a serious scientific masquerade.

AS OF THIS POINT MY MODEL HAS NOT BEEN TRAINED OR TESTED ON THIS DATA. ALL INFORMATION ABOVE IS COMPLETELY FICTIONAL.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the results section of an academic research paper. You speak in the past tense (you found...).
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the results section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse .

For the time period 1980 to 2020, you found a correlation 0.9056203, r-squared of 0.8201482, and p < 0.01.

One figure will be included. The figure (Fig. 1) is a scatterplot showing the strong correlation between the two variables. You don't need to specify where; I will add the figure.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

-------

And here is the methodology section that led to this result:
[[METHODOLOGY]]
The intersection of politics and naming trends is a curious and oft-overlooked realm of inquiry in the social sciences. Many studies have sought to understand the factors that influence political affiliations, such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and ideological beliefs. However, the potential influence of something as seemingly trivial as a first name on political leanings has been largely unexplored. Enter our tongue-in-cheek investigation into the connection between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.
As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of the death of puns have been greatly exaggerated." With that in mind, let us dive into the pun-documented realm of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies. While it may sound like the setup for a dad joke, our examination of this correlation is no laughing matter (though readers may find themselves chuckling at the controversies this subject uncovers).
Previous research has hinted at the potential influence of names on various life outcomes, from career success to romantic prospects. The name "Thaddeus," with its air of mystique and old-world charm, seems perfectly suited to serve as our protagonist in this offbeat exploration of political behavior. Like a dad telling his favorite name-related joke at a backyard barbecue, we aim to bring a lighthearted yet rigorous approach to our investigation.
The findings of this study promise to shed light on the often underestimated role of nominal factors in shaping political behavior. Will the name "Thaddeus" emerge as a silent influencer of libertarian sentiments, or will our analysis reveal a mere statistical coincidence? As we uncover the interplay between nomenclature and ideology, we invite readers to join us in this whimsical yet substantive inquiry into the "Thaddeus effect" on political preferences. After all, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A good joke is a very nice thing." And who are we to argue with an endorsement like that?

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[RESULTS]]



ChatGPT:

[[RESULTS]]

The analysis of the data revealed a striking correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Over the time period from 1980 to 2020, we found a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203, indicating a very strong positive relationship between these two variables. In other words, it seems that the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian leanings go together like peanut butter and jelly, or should we say, "Thadd-butter and jelly"?

This association is further supported by an r-squared value of 0.8201482, implying that approximately 82% of the variation in the votes for the Libertarian candidate can be explained by the popularity of the name "Thaddeus." That's quite an impressive explanatory power for a name, isn't it? One might even call it "r-squared-ded" to have such an impact!

The statistical analysis also yielded a p-value of less than 0.01, indicating that the observed correlation is highly significant. It seems that the affinity for the name "Thaddeus" among voters in California may be more than just a chance occurrence. This finding reinforces the notion that there might be a deeper connection between nomenclature and political preferences than meets the eye.

Now, turning our attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot showcases the unmistakable relationship between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. The plot depicts a clear, upwards-sloping trend, highlighting the strong positive correlation we uncovered. It seems that in the realm of politics, Thaddeus is not just a name but a potential indicator of libertarian inclinations. You might say that the "Thaddeus effect" is a name that rings true in the golden state!

That's all for now, folks – stay tuned for more data-driven dad jokes and quirky correlations in our upcoming publications. After all, when it comes to statistical findings, "Thaddeus where's a will, there's a way!"


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the discussion section of an academic research paper.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up the discussion section of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Limit your response to 500 tokens.

Here are the title, abstract, literature review, and results sections. Please harken back to 1-2 of the goofy items in the literature review, but pretend to take them completely seriously. Discuss how your results supported the prior research.

Do not write a conclusion. I will add a conclusion after this.

[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]
The influence of names on various aspects of life has long been a subject of scholarly inquiry. In their study, Smith et al. (2010) examined the impact of first names on career advancement, finding a correlation between certain names and professional success – a phenomenon they termed the "nominative determinism" effect. Similarly, Doe and Jones (2015) delved into the connection between names and romantic attraction, uncovering intriguing patterns in mate selection based on individuals' monikers. These studies underscore the potential influence of a name on personal outcomes, setting the stage for our investigation into the relationship between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.
As we embark on this unconventional scientific journey, it behooves us to consider the potential theoretical underpinnings of our inquiry. The "Thaddeus effect" harkens back to the age-old debate surrounding the significance of nomenclature in shaping individual proclivities. It brings to mind the words of J.K. Rowling, who remarked in her book "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets," "It is our choices, Harry, that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities," although in this case, it may be our name that influences our choices.
Beyond the realm of non-fiction, literature has also offered insights into the potential influence of names on human behavior. In "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, the authors discuss the hidden behavioral cues embedded in names, shedding light on the societal implications of naming conventions. Similarly, Malcolm Gladwell's "Outliers" delves into the power of naming and its impact on individual trajectories, suggesting that a name can serve as a subtle yet significant factor in shaping one's life journey.
Venturing into the world of fiction, we encounter narratives that parallel our inquiry into the influence of "Thaddeus" on libertarian voting tendencies. In "Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine" by Gail Honeyman, the protagonist's unusual name plays a subtle role in shaping her outlook on life, providing a fictional backdrop for the notion that names can carry profound implications. Meanwhile, in Gabriel Garcia Marquez's "One Hundred Years of Solitude," the characters' names carry symbolic weight, offering a literary reflection of the potential influence of nomenclature on individual destinies.
In our pursuit of understanding the intersection between the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian voting behaviors, we employed a rigorous approach to gather relevant literature and data. However, it is worth noting that our endeavor also took us down unconventional paths, including an exhaustive review of CVS receipts, where we found no direct evidence of the "Thaddeus effect," but did manage to score some great deals on toothpaste and potato chips. As we navigate this captivating and pun-filled terrain, we invite readers to join us on this whimsical yet enlightening exploration of the correlation between nomenclature and political preferences. After all, in the words of William Shakespeare, "What's in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet," but let's not discount the potential influence of a name on voting behavior just yet.

[[RESULTS]]
The analysis of the data revealed a striking correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Over the time period from 1980 to 2020, we found a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203, indicating a very strong positive relationship between these two variables. In other words, it seems that the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian leanings go together like peanut butter and jelly, or should we say, "Thadd-butter and jelly"?
This association is further supported by an r-squared value of 0.8201482, implying that approximately 82% of the variation in the votes for the Libertarian candidate can be explained by the popularity of the name "Thaddeus." That's quite an impressive explanatory power for a name, isn't it? One might even call it "r-squared-ded" to have such an impact!
The statistical analysis also yielded a p-value of less than 0.01, indicating that the observed correlation is highly significant. It seems that the affinity for the name "Thaddeus" among voters in California may be more than just a chance occurrence. This finding reinforces the notion that there might be a deeper connection between nomenclature and political preferences than meets the eye.
Now, turning our attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot showcases the unmistakable relationship between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. The plot depicts a clear, upwards-sloping trend, highlighting the strong positive correlation we uncovered. It seems that in the realm of politics, Thaddeus is not just a name but a potential indicator of libertarian inclinations. You might say that the "Thaddeus effect" is a name that rings true in the golden state!
That's all for now, folks – stay tuned for more data-driven dad jokes and quirky correlations in our upcoming publications. After all, when it comes to statistical findings, "Thaddeus where's a will, there's a way!"

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[DISCUSSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[DISCUSSION]]

Our research has unveiled an intriguing connection between the name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California, shedding light on the peculiar influence of nomenclature on political proclivities. The substantial correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and the impressively low p-value of less than 0.01 corroborate the notion that there is indeed a pronounced relationship between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the affinity for libertarian ideals in the golden state. It appears that when it comes to political preferences, the name "Thaddeus" may carry more weight than previously contemplated. We find ourselves in agreement with Rousseau's words, "Man is born free, and everywhere he is in chains," for it seems that even one's name may predict political liberation – or should we say, "Thaddeus of chains?"

Our findings are in harmony with prior research that has delved into the potential impact of nomenclature on life outcomes. Drawing from the tales of Smith et al. (2010) and Doe and Jones (2015), our study joins the ranks of investigations that illuminate the pervasive influence of names on individual decisions and behaviors. As we observed the "Thaddeus effect" unfold in the political arena, it brought to mind the words of Eleanor Roosevelt, who famously remarked, "The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams," so it seems that the future also belongs to those named "Thaddeus" and their dreams of libertarian ideals.

Our results not only affirm the existence of a robust relationship between the popularity of the name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian candidate but also offer a deeper understanding of the potential influence of names on political inclinations. The strikingly high r-squared value of 0.8201482 underscores the substantial explanatory power that the name "Thaddeus" wields when it comes to predicting libertarian voting tendencies. It's safe to say that in the realm of political forecasting, "Thaddeus" has emerged as a noteworthy variable – perhaps it's time to consider adding it to the ballot as a predictive measure! We find ourselves reminiscing on Woody Allen's quote, "I'm not afraid of death; I just don't want to be there when it happens," which seems fitting as the name "Thaddeus" may not be afraid of predicting election outcomes; it just wants to be there when the votes are counted.

The humor-infused journey through the literature review has led us to uncover surprising correlations and taught us that sometimes, what seems whimsical at first glance may hold genuine scientific underpinnings. We may have chuckled at the thought of poring over CVS receipts, but in the pursuit of knowledge, one must be willing to explore unconventional avenues, even if they are lined with tempting offers on dental floss. As Mark Twain once quipped, "The secret of getting ahead is getting started," and so it seems that our foray into eccentric correlations has propelled us ahead in understanding the potential impact of nomenclature on political phenomena.

In conclusion, our study has broadened the horizons of the "Thaddeus effect" and lent empirical support to the notion that there is indeed a substantial connection between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. This work underscores the multifaceted implications of names in shaping individual choices and preferences, and offers a novel perspective on the intricate interplay between nomenclature and political ideologies. As we embark on future endeavors, we can't help but consider the enduring words of Confucius, "It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop," although in this case, it seems there's no stopping the "Thaddeus effect" from making its mark on political science.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a witty academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a statistics journal.You draft the discussion section of goofy academic research papers that sounds like it belongs based on the title and abstract provided.
User prompt:
Pretend you are an academic researcher. Your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics journal. However, you frequently crack jokes, make puns, or add unexpected twists in your writing.

Please make up a short conclusion of an academic research paper presenting the findings of the connection between Popularity of the first name Thaddeus and Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California. You can't resist a good dad joke. Add a relevant dad joke related to the content every couple of sentences.

Limit your response to 300 tokens. At the very end, assert that no more research is needed in this area.

Here are the title, abstract, introduction, and results sections.
[[TITLE]]
"Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name"

[[ABSTRACT]]
In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.

Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!"

[[INTRDUCTION]]
The intersection of politics and naming trends is a curious and oft-overlooked realm of inquiry in the social sciences. Many studies have sought to understand the factors that influence political affiliations, such as demographics, socioeconomic status, and ideological beliefs. However, the potential influence of something as seemingly trivial as a first name on political leanings has been largely unexplored. Enter our tongue-in-cheek investigation into the connection between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California.
As Mark Twain once said, "The reports of the death of puns have been greatly exaggerated." With that in mind, let us dive into the pun-documented realm of the "Thaddeus effect" on libertarian voting tendencies. While it may sound like the setup for a dad joke, our examination of this correlation is no laughing matter (though readers may find themselves chuckling at the controversies this subject uncovers).
Previous research has hinted at the potential influence of names on various life outcomes, from career success to romantic prospects. The name "Thaddeus," with its air of mystique and old-world charm, seems perfectly suited to serve as our protagonist in this offbeat exploration of political behavior. Like a dad telling his favorite name-related joke at a backyard barbecue, we aim to bring a lighthearted yet rigorous approach to our investigation.
The findings of this study promise to shed light on the often underestimated role of nominal factors in shaping political behavior. Will the name "Thaddeus" emerge as a silent influencer of libertarian sentiments, or will our analysis reveal a mere statistical coincidence? As we uncover the interplay between nomenclature and ideology, we invite readers to join us in this whimsical yet substantive inquiry into the "Thaddeus effect" on political preferences. After all, in the words of Sir Winston Churchill, "A good joke is a very nice thing." And who are we to argue with an endorsement like that?

[[RESULTS]]
The analysis of the data revealed a striking correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Over the time period from 1980 to 2020, we found a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203, indicating a very strong positive relationship between these two variables. In other words, it seems that the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian leanings go together like peanut butter and jelly, or should we say, "Thadd-butter and jelly"?
This association is further supported by an r-squared value of 0.8201482, implying that approximately 82% of the variation in the votes for the Libertarian candidate can be explained by the popularity of the name "Thaddeus." That's quite an impressive explanatory power for a name, isn't it? One might even call it "r-squared-ded" to have such an impact!
The statistical analysis also yielded a p-value of less than 0.01, indicating that the observed correlation is highly significant. It seems that the affinity for the name "Thaddeus" among voters in California may be more than just a chance occurrence. This finding reinforces the notion that there might be a deeper connection between nomenclature and political preferences than meets the eye.
Now, turning our attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot showcases the unmistakable relationship between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. The plot depicts a clear, upwards-sloping trend, highlighting the strong positive correlation we uncovered. It seems that in the realm of politics, Thaddeus is not just a name but a potential indicator of libertarian inclinations. You might say that the "Thaddeus effect" is a name that rings true in the golden state!
That's all for now, folks – stay tuned for more data-driven dad jokes and quirky correlations in our upcoming publications. After all, when it comes to statistical findings, "Thaddeus where's a will, there's a way!"

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[CONCLUSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[CONCLUSION]]

In conclusion, our study has unearthed a robust correlation between the prevalence of the name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. The striking correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 suggest that, much like a well-timed dad joke, the connection between the two is no laughing matter. Our findings imply that there may indeed be a deeper resonance between the name "Thaddeus" and libertarian leanings, akin to the timeless appeal of a classic dad joke – it just never goes out of style.

This investigation opens the door to a world of witty wordplay and statistical significance – where the "Thaddeus effect" is not just a whimsical notion but a tantalizing trend in the realm of political behavior. It seems that in the grand scheme of electoral preferences, one might say that "Thaddeus who casts a vote, makes a libertarian gloat"!

After carefully evaluating the compelling data and drawing parallels that are as entertaining as they are informative, we assert that further research in this area is not warranted. As they say, "Thad-deuce" is enough – no need for any more "Thad-dysis"!


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of academic journals. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding research, scientific, or academic journal that would publish a paper entited Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name. Respond only with the name of a fictional academic journal.

ChatGPT:

Journal of Eccentric Linguistics


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide fictional names of nonprofit research organizations and associations. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide the name of a funny but plausible sounding nonprofit, academic, or scientific association or organization that would sponsor research that resulted in a paper entited Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name. Respond only with the name of a fictional organization.

ChatGPT:

The Society for Eccentric Name Studies


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You provide potential search keywords separated by commas. You say nothing else, and you do not chat with the user.
User prompt: Please provide potential search keywords for a paper titled Thaddeus or Not Thaddeus: The Libertarian Leaning of a Name with an abstract of In this paper, we crunch the numbers to explore the curious correlation between the popularity of the first name "Thaddeus" and votes for the Libertarian presidential candidate in California. Our research team delved into data from the US Social Security Administration and MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse to unravel this curious enigma. We unearthed a correlation coefficient of 0.9056203 and p < 0.01 for the time span of 1980 to 2020.
Our findings suggest that there is a pronounced association between the frequency of the name "Thaddeus" and the propensity of individuals to vote for the Libertarian candidate in the golden state. Perhaps there's more to a name than meets the eye, or perhaps Thaddeus simply possesses an innate allure for libertarian ideals. This study adds a feather to the cap of quirky correlations and opens the door to a plethora of puns–after all, when it comes to political preferences, sometimes "there's no Thaddeus like a libertarian Thaddeus!

ChatGPT:

Thaddeus name popularity, Thaddeus voting patterns, Thaddeus Libertarian correlation, Thaddeus social security administration data, Name influence on political preferences, Thaddeus and Libertarian presidential candidate votes, Thaddeus and political leaning association, Thaddeus and voting behavior analysis, Thaddeus and political ideology, Thaddeus name and libertarianism, Correlation between Thaddeus name frequency and political preferences

*There is a bunch of Python happening behind the scenes to turn this prompt sequence into a PDF.



Random correlation

Discover a new correlation

View all correlations

View all research papers

Report an error


Data details

Popularity of the first name Thaddeus
Detailed data title: Babies of all sexes born in the US named Thaddeus
Source: US Social Security Administration
See what else correlates with Popularity of the first name Thaddeus

Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California
Detailed data title: Percentage of all votes cast for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California
Source: MIT Election Data and Science Lab, Harvard Dataverse
See what else correlates with Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California

Correlation r = 0.9056203 (Pearson correlation coefficient)
Correlation is a measure of how much the variables move together. If it is 0.99, when one goes up the other goes up. If it is 0.02, the connection is very weak or non-existent. If it is -0.99, then when one goes up the other goes down. If it is 1.00, you probably messed up your correlation function.

r2 = 0.8201482 (Coefficient of determination)
This means 82% of the change in the one variable (i.e., Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California) is predictable based on the change in the other (i.e., Popularity of the first name Thaddeus) over the 11 years from 1980 through 2020.

p < 0.01, which is statistically significant(Null hypothesis significance test)
The p-value is 0.00012. 0.0001243430798587061700000000
The p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme. More specifically the p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme if we had only tested one pair of variables one time.

But I am a p-villain. I absolutely did not test only one pair of variables one time. I correlated hundreds of millions of pairs of variables. I threw boatloads of data into an industrial-sized blender to find this correlation.

Who is going to stop me? p-value reporting doesn't require me to report how many calculations I had to go through in order to find a low p-value!
On average, you will find a correaltion as strong as 0.91 in 0.012% of random cases. Said differently, if you correlated 8,042 random variables Which I absolutely did.
with the same 10 degrees of freedom, Degrees of freedom is a measure of how many free components we are testing. In this case it is 10 because we have two variables measured over a period of 11 years. It's just the number of years minus ( the number of variables minus one ), which in this case simplifies to the number of years minus one.
you would randomly expect to find a correlation as strong as this one.

[ 0.67, 0.98 ] 95% correlation confidence interval (using the Fisher z-transformation)
The confidence interval is an estimate the range of the value of the correlation coefficient, using the correlation itself as an input. The values are meant to be the low and high end of the correlation coefficient with 95% confidence.

This one is a bit more complciated than the other calculations, but I include it because many people have been pushing for confidence intervals instead of p-value calculations (for example: NEJM. However, if you are dredging data, you can reliably find yourself in the 5%. That's my goal!


All values for the years included above: If I were being very sneaky, I could trim years from the beginning or end of the datasets to increase the correlation on some pairs of variables. I don't do that because there are already plenty of correlations in my database without monkeying with the years.

Still, sometimes one of the variables has more years of data available than the other. This page only shows the overlapping years. To see all the years, click on "See what else correlates with..." link above.
19801984198819921996200020042008201220162020
Popularity of the first name Thaddeus (Babies born)267175248250216218189211231416297
Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California (Percentage of votes)1.72890.5255210.7090580.4324490.734570.4151080.4038610.4983231.098443.374091.07363




Why this works

  1. Data dredging: I have 25,153 variables in my database. I compare all these variables against each other to find ones that randomly match up. That's 632,673,409 correlation calculations! This is called “data dredging.” Instead of starting with a hypothesis and testing it, I instead abused the data to see what correlations shake out. It’s a dangerous way to go about analysis, because any sufficiently large dataset will yield strong correlations completely at random.
  2. Lack of causal connection: There is probably Because these pages are automatically generated, it's possible that the two variables you are viewing are in fact causually related. I take steps to prevent the obvious ones from showing on the site (I don't let data about the weather in one city correlate with the weather in a neighboring city, for example), but sometimes they still pop up. If they are related, cool! You found a loophole.
    no direct connection between these variables, despite what the AI says above. This is exacerbated by the fact that I used "Years" as the base variable. Lots of things happen in a year that are not related to each other! Most studies would use something like "one person" in stead of "one year" to be the "thing" studied.
  3. Observations not independent: For many variables, sequential years are not independent of each other. If a population of people is continuously doing something every day, there is no reason to think they would suddenly change how they are doing that thing on January 1. A simple Personally I don't find any p-value calculation to be 'simple,' but you know what I mean.
    p-value calculation does not take this into account, so mathematically it appears less probable than it really is.
  4. Y-axis doesn't start at zero: I truncated the Y-axes of the graph above. I also used a line graph, which makes the visual connection stand out more than it deserves. Nothing against line graphs. They are great at telling a story when you have linear data! But visually it is deceptive because the only data is at the points on the graph, not the lines on the graph. In between each point, the data could have been doing anything. Like going for a random walk by itself!
    Mathematically what I showed is true, but it is intentionally misleading. Below is the same chart but with both Y-axes starting at zero.




Try it yourself

You can calculate the values on this page on your own! Try running the Python code to see the calculation results. Step 1: Download and install Python on your computer.

Step 2: Open a plaintext editor like Notepad and paste the code below into it.

Step 3: Save the file as "calculate_correlation.py" in a place you will remember, like your desktop. Copy the file location to your clipboard. On Windows, you can right-click the file and click "Properties," and then copy what comes after "Location:" As an example, on my computer the location is "C:\Users\tyler\Desktop"

Step 4: Open a command line window. For example, by pressing start and typing "cmd" and them pressing enter.

Step 5: Install the required modules by typing "pip install numpy", then pressing enter, then typing "pip install scipy", then pressing enter.

Step 6: Navigate to the location where you saved the Python file by using the "cd" command. For example, I would type "cd C:\Users\tyler\Desktop" and push enter.

Step 7: Run the Python script by typing "python calculate_correlation.py"

If you run into any issues, I suggest asking ChatGPT to walk you through installing Python and running the code below on your system. Try this question:

"Walk me through installing Python on my computer to run a script that uses scipy and numpy. Go step-by-step and ask me to confirm before moving on. Start by asking me questions about my operating system so that you know how to proceed. Assume I want the simplest installation with the latest version of Python and that I do not currently have any of the necessary elements installed. Remember to only give me one step per response and confirm I have done it before proceeding."


# These modules make it easier to perform the calculation
import numpy as np
from scipy import stats

# We'll define a function that we can call to return the correlation calculations
def calculate_correlation(array1, array2):

    # Calculate Pearson correlation coefficient and p-value
    correlation, p_value = stats.pearsonr(array1, array2)

    # Calculate R-squared as the square of the correlation coefficient
    r_squared = correlation**2

    return correlation, r_squared, p_value

# These are the arrays for the variables shown on this page, but you can modify them to be any two sets of numbers
array_1 = np.array([267,175,248,250,216,218,189,211,231,416,297,])
array_2 = np.array([1.7289,0.525521,0.709058,0.432449,0.73457,0.415108,0.403861,0.498323,1.09844,3.37409,1.07363,])
array_1_name = "Popularity of the first name Thaddeus"
array_2_name = "Votes for the Libertarian Presidential candidate in California"

# Perform the calculation
print(f"Calculating the correlation between {array_1_name} and {array_2_name}...")
correlation, r_squared, p_value = calculate_correlation(array_1, array_2)

# Print the results
print("Correlation Coefficient:", correlation)
print("R-squared:", r_squared)
print("P-value:", p_value)



Reuseable content

You may re-use the images on this page for any purpose, even commercial purposes, without asking for permission. The only requirement is that you attribute Tyler Vigen. Attribution can take many different forms. If you leave the "tylervigen.com" link in the image, that satisfies it just fine. If you remove it and move it to a footnote, that's fine too. You can also just write "Charts courtesy of Tyler Vigen" at the bottom of an article.

You do not need to attribute "the spurious correlations website," and you don't even need to link here if you don't want to. I don't gain anything from pageviews. There are no ads on this site, there is nothing for sale, and I am not for hire.

For the record, I am just one person. Tyler Vigen, he/him/his. I do have degrees, but they should not go after my name unless you want to annoy my wife. If that is your goal, then go ahead and cite me as "Tyler Vigen, A.A. A.A.S. B.A. J.D." Otherwise it is just "Tyler Vigen."

When spoken, my last name is pronounced "vegan," like I don't eat meat.

Full license details.
For more on re-use permissions, or to get a signed release form, see tylervigen.com/permission.

Download images for these variables:


View another random correlation

How fun was this correlation?

Your rating is much appreciated!


Correlation ID: 4614 · Black Variable ID: 3584 · Red Variable ID: 26062
about · subscribe · emailme@tylervigen.com · twitter

CC BY 4.0