about · email me · subscribe
Spurious correlation #3,652 · View random

A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is Robberies in West Virginia and the second variable is Asthma prevalence in American children.  The chart goes from 2003 to 2019, and the two variables track closely in value over that time. Small Image
Download png
, svg

AI explanation

As robberies in West Virginia decreased, the demand for ski masks as a fashion accessory also went down. Without ski masks, there was a surge in demand for traditional allergy masks. This led to a nationwide shortage of allergy masks, forcing children to stay indoors where the air quality is generally better. As a result, the decrease in robberies indirectly contributed to lower asthma prevalence in American children. Remember, this is just a fun, made-up explanation!

Model: dalle-3
Prompt: [ Concept art ] In a serene small town in West Virginia, the aftermath of masked robbers’ chaos is reflected in the transformation of the environment. The cleaner and fresher air carries a sense of calmness and relief. On the outskirts of town, a playground becomes a symbol of hope and newfound freedom as children joyfully play, breathing in the fresh air and embracing a healthier, rejuvenated atmosphere. 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: Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. 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: Pop art Whimsical illustration Minimalism Hyper-realistic Concept art
ChatGPT: Concept art

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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children, in the following situation: Because the decrease in robberies in West Virginia led to a reduction in the stress levels of the robbers, resulting in fewer asthma-inducing anxieties being transmitted through the air during their hurried getaway.. Keep the description simple.
ChatGPT: In a small town in West Virginia, a group of masked robbers used to cause chaos, but now the streets are calm. As a result, the air is cleaner and fresher, with less tension and anxiety in the atmosphere. In a nearby playground, a group of children are seen playing freely, breathing in clean air, and enjoying a healthier environment.

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: [ Concept art ] and depicting this scene: In a small town in West Virginia, a group of masked robbers used to cause chaos, but now the streets are calm. As a result, the air is cleaner and fresher, with less tension and anxiety in the atmosphere. In a nearby playground, a group of children are seen playing freely, breathing in clean air, and enjoying a healthier environment. Keep the visual depiction simple. Do not include any words or speech bubbles.
ChatGPT: [ Concept art ] In a serene small town in West Virginia, the aftermath of masked robbers’ chaos is reflected in the transformation of the environment. The cleaner and fresher air carries a sense of calmness and relief. On the outskirts of town, a playground becomes a symbol of hope and newfound freedom as children joyfully play, breathing in the fresh air and embracing a healthier, rejuvenated atmosphere.

*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 a decrease in Robberies in West Virginia caused Asthma prevalence in American children to decrease.\Make it sound serious until the end.

AI academic paper

(Because p < 0.01)
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

Journal of Epidemiological Oddities

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 dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns.

Make the title a clever pun.

Your research team used data from FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and National Center for Health Statistics to assess this nagging question. You found a correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for 2003 to 2019.

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]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns. Sneak in some jokes and clever puns about science, research, statistics, and the variables.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[INTRODUCTION]]



ChatGPT:
The investigation into the connection between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children might sound like the premise of a far-fetched detective novel, but rest assured, it is the focus of our rather intriguing study. Donning our metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hats, we set out to uncover any potential link between these seemingly incongruous variables. The notion that criminal activities in a specific geographic region might have any bearing on the respiratory health of children across the nation may seem as unlikely as finding a rare species of statistical unicorn, but our examination of the data has yielded some rather unexpected results.

The presence of a significant statistical association between these variables raises some thought-provoking questions. Could there be a hidden, caper-like mechanism at play, orchestrating a heist on the respiratory well-being of our nation's young population? Or perhaps this association is a red herring, leading us down a convoluted statistical alleyway? Our endeavor to unravel this enigma has not only led us through the labyrinth of data analysis but has also prompted us to ponder the broader implications of these findings.

As we delve into the labyrinthine world of statistics and research methodologies, we encourage you to don your proverbial detective hat and join us in this scientific sleuthing adventure. While the cloak of mystery still shrouds the precise relationship between these variables, our exploration of the statistical landscape promises to shed light on this improbable correlation. So, without further ado, let us embark on this investigative journey and uncover the astoundingly complex web of connections that link robberies in West Virginia to the respiratory well-being of our nation's children.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns.

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 name some movies that you watched that are tangentially related to the topic.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

-------

And here is the introduction section that led to this literature review:
[[INTRODUCTION]]
The investigation into the connection between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children might sound like the premise of a far-fetched detective novel, but rest assured, it is the focus of our rather intriguing study. Donning our metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hats, we set out to uncover any potential link between these seemingly incongruous variables. The notion that criminal activities in a specific geographic region might have any bearing on the respiratory health of children across the nation may seem as unlikely as finding a rare species of statistical unicorn, but our examination of the data has yielded some rather unexpected results.
The presence of a significant statistical association between these variables raises some thought-provoking questions. Could there be a hidden, caper-like mechanism at play, orchestrating a heist on the respiratory well-being of our nation's young population? Or perhaps this association is a red herring, leading us down a convoluted statistical alleyway? Our endeavor to unravel this enigma has not only led us through the labyrinth of data analysis but has also prompted us to ponder the broader implications of these findings.
As we delve into the labyrinthine world of statistics and research methodologies, we encourage you to don your proverbial detective hat and join us in this scientific sleuthing adventure. While the cloak of mystery still shrouds the precise relationship between these variables, our exploration of the statistical landscape promises to shed light on this improbable correlation. So, without further ado, let us embark on this investigative journey and uncover the astoundingly complex web of connections that link robberies in West Virginia to the respiratory well-being of our nation's children.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]



ChatGPT:
[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

Several previous studies have examined the potential connections between environmental factors and respiratory health outcomes. In "Smith et al.," the authors identify various socio-economic and environmental factors as potential contributors to the prevalence of asthma among children in the United States. Similarly, "Doe and Jones" investigate regional crime rates and their impact on public health, highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches to address the multifaceted determinants of respiratory diseases. However, none of these studies specifically explore the peculiar interrelation between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children.

To delve further into this uncharted territory, it is imperative to consider an eclectic range of literature. Non-fiction works such as "The Environment and Pediatric Asthma" and "Criminal Minds: Understanding the Psychology Behind Robberies" offer valuable insights into the environmental and criminal elements that could potentially contribute to the observed association. In the realm of fiction, books like "The Mystery of the Wheezing Burglar" and "The Asthmatic Artful Dodger" provide an imaginative take on the possible interplay between criminal activity and respiratory health.

In addition to the literary landscape, cinematic narratives have also toyed with themes that bear tangential relevance to our investigation. Movies such as "Asthma Bandits: A Whiff of Suspicion" and "The Robbery Chronicles: Unmasking the Respiratory Riddle" present fictional accounts that, while entertaining, offer a departure from the empirical rigor of academic research. While our study focuses on robust statistical analyses, it is worth acknowledging the diverse cultural representations of crime and respiratory health that permeate popular media.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns. Sneak in some jokes and clever puns about science, research, statistics, and the variables.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and National Center for Health Statistics . You used data from 2003 to 2019

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]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

[[INTRODUCTION]]
The investigation into the connection between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children might sound like the premise of a far-fetched detective novel, but rest assured, it is the focus of our rather intriguing study. Donning our metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hats, we set out to uncover any potential link between these seemingly incongruous variables. The notion that criminal activities in a specific geographic region might have any bearing on the respiratory health of children across the nation may seem as unlikely as finding a rare species of statistical unicorn, but our examination of the data has yielded some rather unexpected results.
The presence of a significant statistical association between these variables raises some thought-provoking questions. Could there be a hidden, caper-like mechanism at play, orchestrating a heist on the respiratory well-being of our nation's young population? Or perhaps this association is a red herring, leading us down a convoluted statistical alleyway? Our endeavor to unravel this enigma has not only led us through the labyrinth of data analysis but has also prompted us to ponder the broader implications of these findings.
As we delve into the labyrinthine world of statistics and research methodologies, we encourage you to don your proverbial detective hat and join us in this scientific sleuthing adventure. While the cloak of mystery still shrouds the precise relationship between these variables, our exploration of the statistical landscape promises to shed light on this improbable correlation. So, without further ado, let us embark on this investigative journey and uncover the astoundingly complex web of connections that link robberies in West Virginia to the respiratory well-being of our nation's children.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[METHODOLOGY]]



ChatGPT:

[[METHODOLOGY]]

To embark on our statistical sleuthing adventure, our research team employed a multifaceted approach to tease out the potential relationship between robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. We gathered data from the FBI's Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, navigating through the virtual corridors of the internet with the tenacity of a bloodhound on the trail of a statistical scent.

Our first analytical caper involved wrangling the extensive databases of the FBI, where we meticulously documented the annual counts of robberies in the state of West Virginia from 2003 to 2019. The paucity of data resembling a criminal hiding in the shadows only served to stoke our determination, and we eventually amassed a comprehensive dataset of felonious activities fit for our statistical scrutiny.

Simultaneously, we donned our epidemiological disguises to probe the National Center for Health Statistics in search of the prevalence of asthma among American children over the same period. Like cautious detectives sifting through clues, we methodically cataloged the nationwide prevalence rates, ensuring that no statistical suspect could elude our grasp.

Once in possession of these incriminating datasets, we employed the art of geographical cartography to visually depict the spatial distribution of both variables, mapping out the geographic terrain with the precision of a cartographic criminal investigator. This allowed us to discern any potential spatial patterns that might betray the presence of a hidden statistical conspiracy.

With the raw data assembled and the spatial tapestry woven, we turned to the formidable tools of statistical analysis to interrogate the relationship between these variables. Employing the time-tested technique of correlation analysis, we calculated the Pearson correlation coefficient to gauge the strength and direction of the relationship between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children.

To ensure the robustness of our findings, we subjected our statistical inferences to the rigors of hypothesis testing, constructing an inferential web to entrap any elusive evidence of a significant association. Armed with a significance level of α = 0.01, we scrutinized our findings for any traces of statistical significance, meting out justice to any spurious claims with the swift gavel of statistical rigor.

Our multifaceted investigative approach allowed us to unravel the convoluted strands of data, culminating in the unveiling of a strikingly strong correlation coefficient between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children. While the precise criminal modus operandi underlying this unexpected statistical connection remains a tantalizing mystery, our methodological escapades have laid bare the compelling association between these seemingly disparate variables.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns. Sneak in some jokes and clever puns about science, research, statistics, and the variables.

Your research team collected data from all across the internet, but mostly just used information from FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and National Center for Health Statistics .

For the time period 2003 to 2019, you found a correlation 0.9030776, r-squared of 0.8155491, 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]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

-------

And here is the methodology section that led to this result:
[[METHODOLOGY]]
The investigation into the connection between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children might sound like the premise of a far-fetched detective novel, but rest assured, it is the focus of our rather intriguing study. Donning our metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hats, we set out to uncover any potential link between these seemingly incongruous variables. The notion that criminal activities in a specific geographic region might have any bearing on the respiratory health of children across the nation may seem as unlikely as finding a rare species of statistical unicorn, but our examination of the data has yielded some rather unexpected results.
The presence of a significant statistical association between these variables raises some thought-provoking questions. Could there be a hidden, caper-like mechanism at play, orchestrating a heist on the respiratory well-being of our nation's young population? Or perhaps this association is a red herring, leading us down a convoluted statistical alleyway? Our endeavor to unravel this enigma has not only led us through the labyrinth of data analysis but has also prompted us to ponder the broader implications of these findings.
As we delve into the labyrinthine world of statistics and research methodologies, we encourage you to don your proverbial detective hat and join us in this scientific sleuthing adventure. While the cloak of mystery still shrouds the precise relationship between these variables, our exploration of the statistical landscape promises to shed light on this improbable correlation. So, without further ado, let us embark on this investigative journey and uncover the astoundingly complex web of connections that link robberies in West Virginia to the respiratory well-being of our nation's children.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[RESULTS]]



ChatGPT:

[[RESULTS]]

The statistical analyses of the data brought to light a rather surprising and robust correlation between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. The correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 indicated a strong positive relationship between these unlikely bedfellows. In simpler terms, it seems there's more to these two variables than meets the eye; they're as intertwined as DNA strands in a statistical double helix.

The r-squared value of 0.8155491 further emphasizes the strength of this correlation, suggesting that approximately 81.55% of the variability in asthma prevalence could be explained by the frequency of robberies in West Virginia. It's like finding the missing puzzle piece that completes the picture, except in this case, the puzzle is made up of data points and the picture is a scatterplot.

The p-value of less than 0.01 indicates that the likelihood of such a strong correlation occurring by chance is rarer than a statistical unicorn sighting. It's as if the data itself is saying, "Hey, this isn't just a fluke; there's something real going on here!"

Now, if you'll direct your attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot visually represents this compelling relationship between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children. Each data point is like a suspect in a lineup, and together, they form a clear pattern that even Sherlock Holmes would find convincing.

In conclusion, our findings not only highlight an unexpectedly strong connection between these seemingly disparate variables, but they also serve as a reminder that statistical relationships can sometimes be as puzzling as a cryptic crossword. While the precise mechanism underlying this association remains a mystery waiting to be solved, our research offers an intriguing glimpse into the cryptic world of unexpected statistical connections.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns. Sneak in some jokes and clever puns about science, research, statistics, and the variables.

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]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]
Several previous studies have examined the potential connections between environmental factors and respiratory health outcomes. In "Smith et al.," the authors identify various socio-economic and environmental factors as potential contributors to the prevalence of asthma among children in the United States. Similarly, "Doe and Jones" investigate regional crime rates and their impact on public health, highlighting the need for comprehensive approaches to address the multifaceted determinants of respiratory diseases. However, none of these studies specifically explore the peculiar interrelation between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children.
To delve further into this uncharted territory, it is imperative to consider an eclectic range of literature. Non-fiction works such as "The Environment and Pediatric Asthma" and "Criminal Minds: Understanding the Psychology Behind Robberies" offer valuable insights into the environmental and criminal elements that could potentially contribute to the observed association. In the realm of fiction, books like "The Mystery of the Wheezing Burglar" and "The Asthmatic Artful Dodger" provide an imaginative take on the possible interplay between criminal activity and respiratory health.
In addition to the literary landscape, cinematic narratives have also toyed with themes that bear tangential relevance to our investigation. Movies such as "Asthma Bandits: A Whiff of Suspicion" and "The Robbery Chronicles: Unmasking the Respiratory Riddle" present fictional accounts that, while entertaining, offer a departure from the empirical rigor of academic research. While our study focuses on robust statistical analyses, it is worth acknowledging the diverse cultural representations of crime and respiratory health that permeate popular media.

[[RESULTS]]
The statistical analyses of the data brought to light a rather surprising and robust correlation between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. The correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 indicated a strong positive relationship between these unlikely bedfellows. In simpler terms, it seems there's more to these two variables than meets the eye; they're as intertwined as DNA strands in a statistical double helix.
The r-squared value of 0.8155491 further emphasizes the strength of this correlation, suggesting that approximately 81.55% of the variability in asthma prevalence could be explained by the frequency of robberies in West Virginia. It's like finding the missing puzzle piece that completes the picture, except in this case, the puzzle is made up of data points and the picture is a scatterplot.
The p-value of less than 0.01 indicates that the likelihood of such a strong correlation occurring by chance is rarer than a statistical unicorn sighting. It's as if the data itself is saying, "Hey, this isn't just a fluke; there's something real going on here!"
Now, if you'll direct your attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot visually represents this compelling relationship between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children. Each data point is like a suspect in a lineup, and together, they form a clear pattern that even Sherlock Holmes would find convincing.
In conclusion, our findings not only highlight an unexpectedly strong connection between these seemingly disparate variables, but they also serve as a reminder that statistical relationships can sometimes be as puzzling as a cryptic crossword. While the precise mechanism underlying this association remains a mystery waiting to be solved, our research offers an intriguing glimpse into the cryptic world of unexpected statistical connections.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[DISCUSSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[DISCUSSION]]

The findings of this study lend credence to the notion that there exists a substantial statistical relationship between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. The results are reminiscent of a Sherlock Holmes story, where seemingly unrelated clues eventually point to a startling revelation. In this case, the statistical evidence suggests that the connection between these two variables is more than just a red herring.

The robust correlation coefficient and r-squared value indicate that a significant portion of the variation in asthma prevalence can be attributed to the frequency of robberies in West Virginia. It's as if these variables are engaged in an intricate tango, each influencing the movements of the other in a complex statistical pas de deux.

The literature review, while whimsically highlighting fictional and non-fictional works, inadvertently pointed us in the right direction. The Mystery of the Wheezing Burglar and The Asthmatic Artful Dodger may have been intended as entertaining diversions, but they hinted at the very real connection we have uncovered. It's as though fiction has become reality, and we've stumbled upon a scientific whodunit with far-reaching implications for public health.

Our results corroborate and extend prior research on environmental and socio-economic factors impacting respiratory health outcomes. However, they also add a peculiar twist to the narrative by unearthing a correlation that would make even Agatha Christie raise an eyebrow.

It is important to note that while our findings provide compelling evidence of a statistical connection, they do not imply causation. The precise mechanisms underlying this association remain shrouded in mystery like a locked-room puzzle waiting to be solved. There may be confounding variables lurking in the shadows, much like the unexpected twists in a mystery novel, that warrant further exploration.

As we reflect on the unexpected linkage between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children, this study serves as a poignant reminder that even in the world of scientific inquiry, truth can be stranger than fiction. The statistical evidence has cast a revealing spotlight on this curious relationship, but the deeper nuances of the connection remain to be unravelled, much like the plot of an intricate whodunit awaiting its resolution.


Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a dry but witty academic researcher. You speak in the passive voice, and your writing sounds like it belongs in a medical or economics 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 Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma prevalence in American children. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns. Sneak in some jokes and clever puns about science, research, statistics, and the variables.

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]]
Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children

[[ABSTRACT]]
This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

[[INTRDUCTION]]
The investigation into the connection between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children might sound like the premise of a far-fetched detective novel, but rest assured, it is the focus of our rather intriguing study. Donning our metaphorical Sherlock Holmes hats, we set out to uncover any potential link between these seemingly incongruous variables. The notion that criminal activities in a specific geographic region might have any bearing on the respiratory health of children across the nation may seem as unlikely as finding a rare species of statistical unicorn, but our examination of the data has yielded some rather unexpected results.
The presence of a significant statistical association between these variables raises some thought-provoking questions. Could there be a hidden, caper-like mechanism at play, orchestrating a heist on the respiratory well-being of our nation's young population? Or perhaps this association is a red herring, leading us down a convoluted statistical alleyway? Our endeavor to unravel this enigma has not only led us through the labyrinth of data analysis but has also prompted us to ponder the broader implications of these findings.
As we delve into the labyrinthine world of statistics and research methodologies, we encourage you to don your proverbial detective hat and join us in this scientific sleuthing adventure. While the cloak of mystery still shrouds the precise relationship between these variables, our exploration of the statistical landscape promises to shed light on this improbable correlation. So, without further ado, let us embark on this investigative journey and uncover the astoundingly complex web of connections that link robberies in West Virginia to the respiratory well-being of our nation's children.

[[RESULTS]]
The statistical analyses of the data brought to light a rather surprising and robust correlation between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. The correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 indicated a strong positive relationship between these unlikely bedfellows. In simpler terms, it seems there's more to these two variables than meets the eye; they're as intertwined as DNA strands in a statistical double helix.
The r-squared value of 0.8155491 further emphasizes the strength of this correlation, suggesting that approximately 81.55% of the variability in asthma prevalence could be explained by the frequency of robberies in West Virginia. It's like finding the missing puzzle piece that completes the picture, except in this case, the puzzle is made up of data points and the picture is a scatterplot.
The p-value of less than 0.01 indicates that the likelihood of such a strong correlation occurring by chance is rarer than a statistical unicorn sighting. It's as if the data itself is saying, "Hey, this isn't just a fluke; there's something real going on here!"
Now, if you'll direct your attention to Fig. 1, our scatterplot visually represents this compelling relationship between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children. Each data point is like a suspect in a lineup, and together, they form a clear pattern that even Sherlock Holmes would find convincing.
In conclusion, our findings not only highlight an unexpectedly strong connection between these seemingly disparate variables, but they also serve as a reminder that statistical relationships can sometimes be as puzzling as a cryptic crossword. While the precise mechanism underlying this association remains a mystery waiting to be solved, our research offers an intriguing glimpse into the cryptic world of unexpected statistical connections.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[CONCLUSION]]



ChatGPT:

[[CONCLUSION]]

In unraveling the enigmatic link between robberies in West Virginia and asthma prevalence in American children, we have found ourselves in a statistical labyrinth as confounding as a maze designed by a mischievous Riddler. Our findings have shed light on an unexpected correlation that is as surprising as stumbling upon a hidden treasure chest in a data-filled desert.

The robust correlation coefficient and the p-value akin to a statistical beggar’s belief indicate that there is more to this relationship than meets the eye. It's as if these variables are engaged in a complex tango, with West Virginia robberies leading the dance and childhood asthma gracefully following suit - a partnership as peculiar as a unicorn dancing with a statistical wizard.

As we contemplate the implications of these findings, it becomes evident that the complex web of statistical connections is as intricate as a spider's web woven by a group of criminally inclined arachnids. The statistical landscape we have traversed resembles a Sherlockian mystery, with clues and red herrings peppered throughout, challenging our interpretative skills.

While the exact mechanism underlying this unlikely association remains shrouded in mystery, our research has demonstrated that the scientific world is as full of unexpected twists and turns as a plot in a detective novel. Therefore, in light of these revelatory findings, it becomes abundantly clear that no further research is needed in this area. The case is closed, the mystery solved, and the statistical unicorn has been apprehended.


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 Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children. Respond only with the name of a fictional academic journal.

ChatGPT:

Journal of Epidemiological Oddities


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 Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children. Respond only with the name of a fictional organization.

ChatGPT:

The Society for Asthma Research and Criminal Epidemiology


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 Coughing up the Link: A Burglarious Connection between Robberies in West Virginia and Asthma Prevalence in American Children with an abstract of This study investigates the rather unexpected connection between the frequency of robberies in West Virginia and the prevalence of asthma in American children. Utilizing data from the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services and the National Center for Health Statistics, we aimed to determine if there was any relationship between these seemingly disparate phenomena. Our findings revealed a surprisingly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9030776 and p < 0.01 for the years 2003 to 2019, indicating a robust statistical connection. While the precise mechanism underlying this surprising association remains to be elucidated, this research provides intriguing insight into the potential interplay between criminal activities and respiratory health outcomes.

ChatGPT:

robberies, West Virginia, asthma prevalence, American children, FBI Criminal Justice Information Services, National Center for Health Statistics, correlation coefficient, criminal activities, respiratory health outcomes

*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

Robberies in West Virginia
Detailed data title: The robbery rate per 100,000 residents in West Virginia
Source: FBI Criminal Justice Information Services
See what else correlates with Robberies in West Virginia

Asthma prevalence in American children
Detailed data title: Percent of children in the US with asthma
Source: National Center for Health Statistics
See what else correlates with Asthma prevalence in American children

Correlation r = 0.9030776 (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 = 0.8155491 (Coefficient of determination)
This means 81.6% of the change in the one variable (i.e., Asthma prevalence in American children) is predictable based on the change in the other (i.e., Robberies in West Virginia) over the 17 years from 2003 through 2019.

p < 0.01, which is statistically significant(Null hypothesis significance test)
The p-value is 6.91E-7. 0.0000006909133956394408000000
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 0.9 in 6.91E-5% of random cases. Said differently, if you correlated 1,447,359 random variables You don't actually need 1 million variables to find a correlation like this one. I don't have that many variables in my database. You can also correlate variables that are not independent. I do this a lot.

p-value calculations are useful for understanding the probability of a result happening by chance. They are most useful when used to highlight the risk of a fluke outcome. For example, if you calculate a p-value of 0.30, the risk that the result is a fluke is high. It is good to know that! But there are lots of ways to get a p-value of less than 0.01, as evidenced by this project.

In this particular case, the values are so extreme as to be meaningless. That's why no one reports p-values with specificity after they drop below 0.01.

Just to be clear: I'm being completely transparent about the calculations. There is no math trickery. This is just how statistics shakes out when you calculate hundreds of millions of random correlations.
with the same 16 degrees of freedom, Degrees of freedom is a measure of how many free components we are testing. In this case it is 16 because we have two variables measured over a period of 17 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.

[ 0.75, 0.96 ] 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.
20032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019
Robberies in West Virginia (Robbery rate)38.742.74546.946.749.450.241.843.24535.235.442.539.43718.519.3
Asthma prevalence in American children (Percent of children)8.58.58.99.39.19.49.69.49.59.38.38.68.48.38.47.57




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([38.7,42.7,45,46.9,46.7,49.4,50.2,41.8,43.2,45,35.2,35.4,42.5,39.4,37,18.5,19.3,])
array_2 = np.array([8.5,8.5,8.9,9.3,9.1,9.4,9.6,9.4,9.5,9.3,8.3,8.6,8.4,8.3,8.4,7.5,7,])
array_1_name = "Robberies in West Virginia"
array_2_name = "Asthma prevalence in American children"

# 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 skills are top-notch!


Correlation ID: 3652 · Black Variable ID: 20224 · Red Variable ID: 1133
about · subscribe · emailme@tylervigen.com · twitter

CC BY 4.0