Posted on 02/03/2010 6:41:42 AM PST by JoeProBono
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.,- A scientist at Massachusetts' Harvard University says there are three main reasons why researchers study issues with seemingly "obvious" conclusions.
Marc Abrahams, a co-founder of the magazine Annals of Improbable Research, said "obvious" studies are often performed by researchers who are "oblivious to the obvious," attempting to prove an obvious conclusion wrong or seeking data to confirm a commonly held belief to obtain funding for programs, the Sacramento (Calif.) Bee reported Tuesday.
"The first type is the most fun for everybody else," Abrahams said. "By everybody, I mean even the individuals who work with them. They usually find that an amusing thing."
He said the most politicized are the third category of "obvious" researchers.
"It is usually some political fight," he said, "and nobody will do a thing about (an issue) until somebody comes up and says, 'OK, I've got numbers. It was foolish that somebody had to go to all the time and trouble to do this, but now that somebody has, we can all agree it's time to do something.'"
Recent studies falling under the umbrella of Abrahams' "obvious" label include University of Rochester research that said people tend to be happier on weekends because they don't have to work.
Somebody actually STUDIED why they do obvious studies????? How silly.
A better question would be: Why are we forced to pay for them?
mythbusters?
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