Spurious correlation #5,674 · View random
A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is Master's degrees awarded in Transportation and the second variable is Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme. The chart goes from 2012 to 2021, and the two variables track closely in value over that time.

A linear line chart with years as the X-axis and two variables on the Y-axis. The first variable is Master's degrees awarded in Transportation and the second variable is Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme. The chart goes from 2012 to 2021, and the two variables track closely in value over that time.

Download png, svg

AI explanation

As the number of Master’s degrees awarded in Transportation decreased, there was less 'drive' to keep the 'slenderman' meme going. This led to a drop in overall interest and ultimately caused the meme to hit the brakes on its own popularity. It seems like the connection got lost in transit, leaving the meme stranded without a 'transporting' appeal. The situation just couldn't 'pick up' the same momentum, and the meme ended up taking a wrong turn into obscurity. Who knew that a lack of advanced transportation degrees could derail a creepy internet phenomenon?

^{Show image generation prompt} Create a meme inspired by the slenderman meme that in some way references Master's degrees awarded in Transportation. Try to emulate the style of the meme - don’t violate the copyright, just make it look and feel like the original meme.
^{Show prompt for explanation} 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 Master's degrees awarded in Transportation caused Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme to decrease. Include one good pun.

AI academic paper

(Because p < 0.01)

On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon

Journal of Transportation Humor

Jan 2024

Reminder: This paper is AI-generated. Not real!

^{Show prompt used to generate this paper} 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 goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.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 Master's degrees awarded in Transportation and Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme. 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 a couple popular internet memes that are related to one of the topics.

Here is the title and abstract of the paper:
[[TITLE]]
On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon

[[ABSTRACT]]
In the realm of high-flying academic inquiries, we embarked on a journey to uncover the unlikely alignment of Master's degrees in transportation disciplines and the enigmatic 'Slenderman' meme. With meticulous scrutiny, drawing on data from the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, we sought to unravel this peculiar association. Our findings revealed a staggeringly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9487986, with a p-value so small even Slenderman's elusive stature couldn't conceal it: p < 0.01 for the period between 2012 and 2021. As we transport ourselves through this research landscape, we invite readers to buckle up for a scholarly expedition that promises to be both informative and delightfully bizarre.

-------

And here is the introduction section that led to this literature review:
[[INTRODUCTION]]
Transportation and memes - two seemingly unrelated topics that have collided in a most unexpected and perplexing manner. As scholars of the obscure and the absurd, we have delved into the realm of Master's degrees in transportation and the notorious 'Slenderman' meme, seeking to untangle the web of correlations that exists between them. This endeavor, while unconventional, promises to shed light on a most curious intersection of academic pursuits and internet folklore.
The 'Slenderman' meme, with its eerily tall, faceless figure lurking in the shadows of cyberspace, has captured the imaginations and internet bandwidth of many since its emergence. Meanwhile, Master's degrees in transportation, with their focus on moving people and goods from point A to point B, seem light years away from the realms of internet memes. However, as we often find in the labyrinthine corridors of scholarly exploration, things are not always as they seem.
In this research undertaking, we tap into the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, harnessing their data-driven power to illuminate the enigmatic connection that has raised more eyebrows than Slenderman himself. Our aim is not only to present the empirical evidence of this unusual correlation but also to inject a dose of levity and quirkiness into the typically staid world of academic discourse.
So, dear readers, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a wild ride through this unexpected juxtaposition of transportation academia and internet memes. We assure you that, despite the unusual subject matter, this scholarly expedition holds the promise of both enlightenment and amusement - a rare combination indeed in the academic realm. Let us embark on this journey together, as we unravel the mysteries of Master's degrees in transportation and the captivating allure of the 'Slenderman' meme.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

ChatGPT:
[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]

As we delve into the rich tapestry of literature concerning Master's degrees in transportation and the 'Slenderman' meme, we encounter an eclectic array of sources that range from the earnest to the utterly bizarre. Smith et al. (2015) examined the trends in transportation education and training, while Doe (2018) delved into the phenomena of internet memes and their cultural impact. However, as we traverse this scholarly landscape, we stumble upon a treasure trove of unexpected insights and peculiar connections that defy the conventional boundaries of academic inquiry.

In "Book," the authors find that the transportation industry is a vital component of modern society, facilitating the movement of people and goods with remarkable efficiency. Yet, amidst the serious discussions of logistics and infrastructure, we find an unexpected leitmotif – the mysterious and enigmatic figure of Slenderman lurking at the intersections and crossroads of our academic curiosity.

Venturing further into the depths of literature, we encounter "Transportation Tales: From Roads to Memes" by Jones (2019), where the author explores the uncharted territories of transportation folklore and its unlikely confluence with internet memes. The juxtaposition of serious academic discourse with the capricious world of internet culture poses a conundrum that piques our scholarly intrigue, much like stumbling upon a 'Slenderman' sighting in an obscure internet forum.

Turning our attention to non-fiction works that tangentially relate to our investigation, we come across "The Physics of Transport" by Dr. Isaac Wheel, wherein the author ingeniously weaves together the principles of transportation engineering with the seemingly otherworldly physics of the 'Slenderman' mythos. Additionally, "Memes and Morality" by Dr. Evelyn Internet sheds light on the intricate ethical and moral dimensions of internet memes, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the philosophical underpinnings of our enigmatic subject matter.

As we wade into the waters of fiction, we encounter the compelling narratives of "The Transporter's Tome" by J.K. Rowboat, a whimsical tale of a clandestine transportation network that intersects with the shadowy realms of internet folklore. Not to be outdone, "Slenderman: The Untold Journeys" by Dan Brown, not the Dan Brown, explores the mythos of Slenderman in a heart-pounding thriller that navigates the labyrinthine corridors of conspiracy and enigma.

In a surprising twist, our exploration leads us to the piquant world of internet culture, where we encounter the rambunctious 'Rickroll' meme and the distinctive allure of 'Nyan Cat,' both of which provide a backdrop against which the 'Slenderman' meme exerts its peculiar influence. Like ships passing in the night, these memes form the constellations of our digital zeitgeist, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the whimsical caprices of the internet's collective consciousness.

As our journey through the literature draws to a close, we find ourselves standing at the crossroads of earnest academic research and the whimsical landscapes of internet memes, compelled to unravel the enigma that binds transportation academia with the esoteric allure of the 'Slenderman' meme. With a chuckle and a raised eyebrow, we dare to venture into the uncharted territories of this peculiar intersection, armed with an irrepressible curiosity and a healthy sense of scholarly whimsy.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.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 Master's degrees awarded in Transportation and Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns.

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]]
On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon

[[ABSTRACT]]
In the realm of high-flying academic inquiries, we embarked on a journey to uncover the unlikely alignment of Master's degrees in transportation disciplines and the enigmatic 'Slenderman' meme. With meticulous scrutiny, drawing on data from the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, we sought to unravel this peculiar association. Our findings revealed a staggeringly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9487986, with a p-value so small even Slenderman's elusive stature couldn't conceal it: p < 0.01 for the period between 2012 and 2021. As we transport ourselves through this research landscape, we invite readers to buckle up for a scholarly expedition that promises to be both informative and delightfully bizarre.

[[LITERATURE REVIEW]]
As we delve into the rich tapestry of literature concerning Master's degrees in transportation and the 'Slenderman' meme, we encounter an eclectic array of sources that range from the earnest to the utterly bizarre. Smith et al. (2015) examined the trends in transportation education and training, while Doe (2018) delved into the phenomena of internet memes and their cultural impact. However, as we traverse this scholarly landscape, we stumble upon a treasure trove of unexpected insights and peculiar connections that defy the conventional boundaries of academic inquiry.
In "Book," the authors find that the transportation industry is a vital component of modern society, facilitating the movement of people and goods with remarkable efficiency. Yet, amidst the serious discussions of logistics and infrastructure, we find an unexpected leitmotif – the mysterious and enigmatic figure of Slenderman lurking at the intersections and crossroads of our academic curiosity.
Venturing further into the depths of literature, we encounter "Transportation Tales: From Roads to Memes" by Jones (2019), where the author explores the uncharted territories of transportation folklore and its unlikely confluence with internet memes. The juxtaposition of serious academic discourse with the capricious world of internet culture poses a conundrum that piques our scholarly intrigue, much like stumbling upon a 'Slenderman' sighting in an obscure internet forum.
Turning our attention to non-fiction works that tangentially relate to our investigation, we come across "The Physics of Transport" by Dr. Isaac Wheel, wherein the author ingeniously weaves together the principles of transportation engineering with the seemingly otherworldly physics of the 'Slenderman' mythos. Additionally, "Memes and Morality" by Dr. Evelyn Internet sheds light on the intricate ethical and moral dimensions of internet memes, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the philosophical underpinnings of our enigmatic subject matter.
As we wade into the waters of fiction, we encounter the compelling narratives of "The Transporter's Tome" by J.K. Rowboat, a whimsical tale of a clandestine transportation network that intersects with the shadowy realms of internet folklore. Not to be outdone, "Slenderman: The Untold Journeys" by Dan Brown, not the Dan Brown, explores the mythos of Slenderman in a heart-pounding thriller that navigates the labyrinthine corridors of conspiracy and enigma.
In a surprising twist, our exploration leads us to the piquant world of internet culture, where we encounter the rambunctious 'Rickroll' meme and the distinctive allure of 'Nyan Cat,' both of which provide a backdrop against which the 'Slenderman' meme exerts its peculiar influence. Like ships passing in the night, these memes form the constellations of our digital zeitgeist, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the whimsical caprices of the internet's collective consciousness.
As our journey through the literature draws to a close, we find ourselves standing at the crossroads of earnest academic research and the whimsical landscapes of internet memes, compelled to unravel the enigma that binds transportation academia with the esoteric allure of the 'Slenderman' meme. With a chuckle and a raised eyebrow, we dare to venture into the uncharted territories of this peculiar intersection, armed with an irrepressible curiosity and a healthy sense of scholarly whimsy.

[[RESULTS]]
The statistical analysis of the relationship between Master's degrees awarded in transportation and the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme has yielded results that are as surprising as discovering a unicycle in a car dealership. The correlation coefficient of 0.9487986 between these two seemingly disconnected elements can only be described as a match made in statistical heaven – or perhaps statistical purgatory, given the eerie nature of the 'Slenderman' meme. This strong correlation indicates that as the number of Master's degrees in transportation increases, so does the online interest in the enigmatic and haunting figure that is Slenderman.
To put it plainly, as transportation studies have gained momentum, so has the fascination with this spectral internet icon. The relationship is so robust that it's almost as if Slenderman himself has been hitching a ride on the academic pathway to explore the realms of transportation.
The r-squared value of 0.9002188 adds weight to this correlation, indicating that a whopping 90% of the variability in the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme can be explained by the number of Master's degrees awarded in transportation. It seems that the allure of moving people and goods has a strong gravitational pull on the collective psyche, propelling the ascent of the 'Slenderman' meme alongside it.
Furthermore, the p-value of less than 0.01 not only confirms the significance of this relationship but also underscores the notion that this association is so strikingly compelling, it's almost spooky.
In Fig. 1, the scatterplot speaks volumes, showcasing the tightly clustered data points that paint a vivid picture of the synchronicity between transportation-themed academia and the digital fascination with Slenderman. It's as if the data themselves are in on the conspiracy, aligning in a way that makes even the most seasoned statistician do a double take.
These findings defy conventional wisdom and beckon us to ponder the unlikely dance between serious scholarly pursuits and internet obsessions. As we traverse the labyrinth of statistical analysis, we can't help but marvel at the peculiar connections that emerge from the depths of data – a testament to the unpredictable and whimsical nature of academic exploration.
In summary, our research has uncovered a compelling link between the pursuit of knowledge in transportation disciplines and the allure of the 'Slenderman' meme, inviting us to recognize that even in the most unexpected places, correlations can emerge that defy logic and tickle the imagination.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[DISCUSSION]]

ChatGPT:

[[DISCUSSION]]

The unearthed correlation between the confounding realms of transportation-focused academia and the spectral allure of the 'Slenderman' meme confronts us with a conundrum akin to encountering a UFO in a traffic jam – perplexing, unexpected, and begging for scholarly scrutiny.

Our findings corroborate the offbeat musings woven into the literature review, where the intertwining of transportation academia and internet memes seemed as plausible as finding a penguin on a subway train. Just as Dr. Isaac Wheel ingeniously interlaced the principles of transportation engineering with the seemingly otherworldly physics of the 'Slenderman' mythos, our statistical analysis has unveiled a nexus so bewitching it could charm a gorgon.

The robust correlation coefficient of 0.9487986, akin to stumbling upon a unicorn in a traffic jam, lends concrete support to the whimsical speculations put forth by authors who dared to traverse the landscape of academic inquiry and internet culture with irrepressible curiosity and scholarly whimsy. This statistical embrace between the realms of transportation academia and the enigmatic 'Slenderman' meme certainly surpasses the charm of finding Bigfoot exchanging pleasantries with the Loch Ness Monster.

The r-squared value of 0.9002188 stands as a testament to the captivating allure of this unlikely relationship, capturing a whopping 90% of the variability in the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme within its statistical grasp, akin to a statistical siren luring unsuspecting sailors into a sea of correlation.

The elusive p-value of less than 0.01 glistens like the treasure at the end of a statistical rainbow, confirming the significance of this bewitching relationship in a manner so compelling, it's almost as if the statistical tests themselves were whispering ghost stories in the echoing halls of academia.

In the immortal words of Lao Tzu, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." Our research has embarked on a hilariously unexpected journey, uncovering a remarkably strong connection between the staid world of transportation academia and the shadowy enigma of the 'Slenderman' meme. This unlikely pairing invites us to contemplate the whimsical, unpredictable, and often confounding nature of scholarly investigations – a reminder that even the most serious pursuits can unveil correlations that transcend logic and tickle the imagination.

Model: gpt-3.5-turbo-1106
System prompt: You are a goofy academic researcher writing an academic paper. You follow the rules, but you throw out convention regularly to make jokes and funny asides.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 Master's degrees awarded in Transportation and Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme. Make lots of jokes, goofy observations, and puns.

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]]
On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon

[[ABSTRACT]]
In the realm of high-flying academic inquiries, we embarked on a journey to uncover the unlikely alignment of Master's degrees in transportation disciplines and the enigmatic 'Slenderman' meme. With meticulous scrutiny, drawing on data from the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, we sought to unravel this peculiar association. Our findings revealed a staggeringly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9487986, with a p-value so small even Slenderman's elusive stature couldn't conceal it: p < 0.01 for the period between 2012 and 2021. As we transport ourselves through this research landscape, we invite readers to buckle up for a scholarly expedition that promises to be both informative and delightfully bizarre.

[[INTRDUCTION]]
Transportation and memes - two seemingly unrelated topics that have collided in a most unexpected and perplexing manner. As scholars of the obscure and the absurd, we have delved into the realm of Master's degrees in transportation and the notorious 'Slenderman' meme, seeking to untangle the web of correlations that exists between them. This endeavor, while unconventional, promises to shed light on a most curious intersection of academic pursuits and internet folklore.
The 'Slenderman' meme, with its eerily tall, faceless figure lurking in the shadows of cyberspace, has captured the imaginations and internet bandwidth of many since its emergence. Meanwhile, Master's degrees in transportation, with their focus on moving people and goods from point A to point B, seem light years away from the realms of internet memes. However, as we often find in the labyrinthine corridors of scholarly exploration, things are not always as they seem.
In this research undertaking, we tap into the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, harnessing their data-driven power to illuminate the enigmatic connection that has raised more eyebrows than Slenderman himself. Our aim is not only to present the empirical evidence of this unusual correlation but also to inject a dose of levity and quirkiness into the typically staid world of academic discourse.
So, dear readers, fasten your seatbelts and prepare for a wild ride through this unexpected juxtaposition of transportation academia and internet memes. We assure you that, despite the unusual subject matter, this scholarly expedition holds the promise of both enlightenment and amusement - a rare combination indeed in the academic realm. Let us embark on this journey together, as we unravel the mysteries of Master's degrees in transportation and the captivating allure of the 'Slenderman' meme.

[[RESULTS]]
The statistical analysis of the relationship between Master's degrees awarded in transportation and the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme has yielded results that are as surprising as discovering a unicycle in a car dealership. The correlation coefficient of 0.9487986 between these two seemingly disconnected elements can only be described as a match made in statistical heaven – or perhaps statistical purgatory, given the eerie nature of the 'Slenderman' meme. This strong correlation indicates that as the number of Master's degrees in transportation increases, so does the online interest in the enigmatic and haunting figure that is Slenderman.
To put it plainly, as transportation studies have gained momentum, so has the fascination with this spectral internet icon. The relationship is so robust that it's almost as if Slenderman himself has been hitching a ride on the academic pathway to explore the realms of transportation.
The r-squared value of 0.9002188 adds weight to this correlation, indicating that a whopping 90% of the variability in the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme can be explained by the number of Master's degrees awarded in transportation. It seems that the allure of moving people and goods has a strong gravitational pull on the collective psyche, propelling the ascent of the 'Slenderman' meme alongside it.
Furthermore, the p-value of less than 0.01 not only confirms the significance of this relationship but also underscores the notion that this association is so strikingly compelling, it's almost spooky.
In Fig. 1, the scatterplot speaks volumes, showcasing the tightly clustered data points that paint a vivid picture of the synchronicity between transportation-themed academia and the digital fascination with Slenderman. It's as if the data themselves are in on the conspiracy, aligning in a way that makes even the most seasoned statistician do a double take.
These findings defy conventional wisdom and beckon us to ponder the unlikely dance between serious scholarly pursuits and internet obsessions. As we traverse the labyrinth of statistical analysis, we can't help but marvel at the peculiar connections that emerge from the depths of data – a testament to the unpredictable and whimsical nature of academic exploration.
In summary, our research has uncovered a compelling link between the pursuit of knowledge in transportation disciplines and the allure of the 'Slenderman' meme, inviting us to recognize that even in the most unexpected places, correlations can emerge that defy logic and tickle the imagination.

-------

Your response should start like this:

[[CONCLUSION]]

ChatGPT:

[[CONCLUSION]]

In conclusion, our research has not only brought to light the surprising correlation between Master's degrees in transportation and the popularity of the 'Slenderman' meme, but has also given us a wild, unexpected, and at times downright ludicrous ride through the labyrinthine corridors of statistical analysis. Much like a lost traveler stumbling upon an unexpected carnival while searching for the nearest gas station, we found ourselves immersed in the whimsical world of scholarly exploration.

With a correlation coefficient so strong it could haul a freight train, and an r-squared value that could keep even the most elusive internet specter in sight, our findings have left us in awe of the peculiar connections that can emerge from the depths of data. It's as if the statistical gods themselves decided to play an elaborate prank on the research community, leaving us to grapple with the confounding intersection of transportation academia and internet folklore.

As we reflect on the unexpected dance between serious scholarly pursuits and digital fascinations, we are reminded that the world of research is not always a straight road from hypothesis to conclusion. Sometimes, it's a rollercoaster of statistical anomalies, unexpected correlations, and a dash of internet weirdness thrown in for good measure.

In the spirit of academic inquiry and a good sense of humor, we must assert that there is no need for further research in this area. After all, once you've uncovered a correlation this baffling, there's no need to beat a dead horse – or in this case, a faceless internet meme. Instead, let us marvel at the whimsical intricacies of the research universe and embrace the unexpected connections that continue to surprise and delight us.

As we close the door on this curious voyage, we must bid adieu to the 'Slenderman' meme and the world of transportation academia, knowing that we have unearthed a correlation so bizarre, it's almost like finding a UFO parked at a rest stop. Here's to the joy of scholarly exploration, where the unexpected hides around every statistical corner, and where the correlation coefficient never ceases to amaze.

In the immortal words of Slenderman himself, "Always watching, no eyes to see, but there's always room for one more correlation." And with that, we leave this peculiar intersection of academia and internet phenomena, knowing that we have ventured where few would dare to tread – with a data-driven sense of humor in tow.

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 On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon. Respond only with the name of a fictional academic journal.

ChatGPT:

Journal of Transportation Humor

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 On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon. Respond only with the name of a fictional organization.

ChatGPT:

The Society for Urban Transportation Studies and Internet Culture (SUTSIC)

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 On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon with an abstract of In the realm of high-flying academic inquiries, we embarked on a journey to uncover the unlikely alignment of Master's degrees in transportation disciplines and the enigmatic 'Slenderman' meme. With meticulous scrutiny, drawing on data from the National Center for Education Statistics and Google Trends, we sought to unravel this peculiar association. Our findings revealed a staggeringly strong correlation coefficient of 0.9487986, with a p-value so small even Slenderman's elusive stature couldn't conceal it: p < 0.01 for the period between 2012 and 2021. As we transport ourselves through this research landscape, we invite readers to buckle up for a scholarly expedition that promises to be both informative and delightfully bizarre.

ChatGPT:

Slenderman meme, transportation-related Master's degrees, academic research, correlation coefficient, Google Trends, National Center for Education Statistics, meme phenomenon, scholarly expedition

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

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Data details

Master's degrees awarded in Transportation
Detailed data title: Master's degrees conferred by postsecondary institutions in Transportation and materials moving
Source: National Center for Education Statistics
See what else correlates with Master's degrees awarded in Transportation

Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme
Detailed data title: Relative volume of Google searches for 'slenderman' (without quotes, in the United States)
Source: Google Trends
Additional Info: ^{See full details} Relative search volume is a unique Google thing; the shape of the chart is accurate but the actual numbers are meaningless.

See what else correlates with Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme

Correlation r = 0.9487986 (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 = 0.9002188 (Coefficient of determination)
This means 90% of the change in the one variable (i.e., Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme) is predictable based on the change in the other (i.e., Master's degrees awarded in Transportation) over the 10 years from 2012 through 2021.

p < 0.01, which is statistically significant(Null hypothesis significance test)
The p-value is 2.8E-5.^Show 0.0000282597692114928530000000
The p-value is a measure of how probable it is that we would randomly find a result this extreme.^Note 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 0.95 in 0.0028% of random cases. Said differently, if you correlated 35,386 random variables^Note You don't actually need 35 thousand variables to find a correlation like this one. 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.

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 9 degrees of freedom, ^Note Degrees of freedom is a measure of how many free components we are testing. In this case it is 9 because we have two variables measured over a period of 10 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.

[ 0.79, 0.99 ] 95% correlation confidence interval (using the Fisher z-transformation)
^{Read more about the confidence interval} 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: ^Note 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.

	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016	2017	2018	2019	2020	2021
Master's degrees awarded in Transportation (Degrees awarded)	1702	1444	1243	971	911	839	815	774	631	670
Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme (Relative popularity)	31.0833	21.25	26	12.5	10.0833	11	13.3333	7.75	6.33333	5.83333

Why this works

Data dredging: I have 25,237 variables in my database. I compare all these variables against each other to find ones that randomly match up. That's 636,906,169 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.
Lack of causal connection: There is probably^Note 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.
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^Note 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.

Try it yourself

You can calculate the values on this page on your own! Try running the Python code to see the calculation results. ^{Show the steps to do this.} 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([1702,1444,1243,971,911,839,815,774,631,670,])
array_2 = np.array([31.0833,21.25,26,12.5,10.0833,11,13.3333,7.75,6.33333,5.83333,])
array_1_name = "Master's degrees awarded in Transportation"
array_2_name = "Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme"

# 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. ^Note 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:

High resolution line chart ^Note The image linked here is a Scalable Vector Graphic (SVG). It is the highest resolution that is possible to achieve. It scales up beyond the size of the observable universe without pixelating. You do not need to email me asking if I have a higher resolution image. I do not. The physical limitations of our universe prevent me from providing you with an image that is any higher resolution than this one.

If you insert it into a PowerPoint presentation (a tool well-known for managing things that are the scale of the universe), you can right-click > "Ungroup" or "Create Shape" and then edit the lines and text directly. You can also change the colors this way.

Alternatively you can use a tool like Inkscape.
High resolution line chart, optimized for mobile
Alternative high resolution line chart
Scatterplot
Portable line chart (png)
Portable line chart (png), optimized for mobile
Line chart for only Master's degrees awarded in Transportation
Line chart for only Popularity of the 'slenderman' meme
AI-generated correlation image
The spurious research paper: On the Move: The Curious Connection Between Transportation-Related Master's Degrees and the 'Slenderman' Meme Phenomenon

View another random correlation

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Correlation ID: 5674 · Black Variable ID: 1341 · Red Variable ID: 25163


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