Correlation and Causation

Posted by Chad Orzel on August 2, 2008
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Around 20% of women who go into labor do so after eating Chinese food.

Another 17% or so go into labor after eating Indian food.

True facts.

(No baby yet. We were amusing ourselves yesterday talking about urban legends on how to induce labor, and these occurred to me this morning as possible justifications…)

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  1. #1 Fred
    August 2, 2008

    percentage of women who are in labor after going into labor — 100%

  2. #2 SEK
    August 2, 2008

    According to my English major math, that means woman who eat Chinese and Indian food have a 37 percent chance of going into labor. I wonder what effect Nepalese cuisine has. (Or Tibetan, for that matter.)

  3. #3 Uncle Al
    August 2, 2008

    Take an economics and climatology approach: wait for the data to arrive then write theory showing why it is wrong.

  4. #4 mollishka
    August 2, 2008

    I have a friend whose mom went into labor after the dog jumped over her due to freaking out over trick-or-treaters at the front door. Just wait a few more months.

  5. #5 Janne
    August 2, 2008

    My mother gave birth right after riding in a taxi very fast. It worked for her when she was expecting my sister as well. Maybe you should try that.

  6. #6 Excited State
    August 2, 2008

    Is that because 20% of women live in China and 17% of women live in India?

  7. #7 Jonathan Vos Post
    August 2, 2008

    My wife went into labor almost immediately after submitting two SBIR proposals involving thin-film superconductors, at Talandic Research Company, a 200-person electro-optical subcontractor to major aerospace firms. She won both proposals, as PI, and had to go back to the lab rather soon after our son was born.

  8. #8 Steinn Sigurdsson
    August 2, 2008

    0.001% of women go into labour after eating boiled haddock and potatoes, with butter.
    You have to play the odds…

    Good luck.

  9. #9 Natalie
    August 2, 2008

    I’ve heard great stuff about eggplant parmesan!

  10. #10 Ray Ward
    August 3, 2008

    Reminds me of an old Dilbert comic strip, where the boss became outraged because 40% of sick days were taken on either a Monday or a Friday.