June 22, 2009

Preliminary findings


Background
September last year I wrote:

I think if I worked in an office I'd be far more lecherous and alarming than I am, far more prone to obsession and liable to lose my bearings if an attractive young woman struck up a friendly conversation.
Hypothesis
Working in an office was not the key point, but rather working in an environment that wasn't filled with attractive women and girls who were there to interact with me, as happens [happened] in conversation classes. So, there was a testable hypothesis contained in that earlier post, as follows:
My lechery and alarming behavior are inversely proportional to the amount of friendly conversation I engage in with attractive young women.

Preliminary findings
Nine months later, and I no longer teach in any significant capacity, and so do not spend all day, every day in conversation with attractive young women.

The evidence of the last 6.5 months suggests strong support for the hypothesis.

Limitations, and suggestions for future work
It should be noted that this preliminary investigation does not consider any possible variables, such as the consumption of alcohol and the fact that I'm married. However, whether these factors are significant, and if so, whether they are moderating or mediating variables, is something that future work will address.

Related post: Made of anecdotes and punchlines

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