Wednesday, February 24, 2010

Anecdotal evidence works

From Harvard Magazine Mar-Apr 2010
Your parents recommend taking a Caribbean cruise and tell you about a discount deal. You’ve never taken a cruise and aren’t so sure you’d enjoy it, so you dig up some information on the Web and even watch a couple of videos. You recollect the times you’ve been on ships, and your past visits to Caribbean islands—rum drinks, aqua waters. But will you really enjoy an eight-day cruise? Turns out there is a better way to answer this question: ask anyone who has just gotten off a cruise boat—a total stranger is fine. That way, you’ll be 30 to 60 percent more likely to accurately predict your own experience than by basing your decision on painstaking research and inner speculations.

2 comments:

Sancha said...

Did you see the letters section in that magazine (specifically the response to the picture of Peter Sagal)? Harvard alums have NO sense of humor.

Russ Abbott said...

I did see those letters and realized that I hadn't even noticed. I was so surprised by Carl Kassel and Peter Sagal. They are nothing like how they look on the radio. I'll have to check my receiver.

By the way, good to hear from you Sancha. If you ever Buzz anything I'm listening.