Seriously Curious: The Facts And Figures That Turn Our World Upside Down

TOM STANDAGE is deputy editor of The Economist and the author of six books, including A History of the World in 6 Glasses. His writing has also appeared in the New York Times, the Daily Telegraph, the Guardian and Wired. Seriously Curious is the sequel to Go Figure, which he also edited. Published in 2018 under exclusive licence from The Economist by Profile Books Ltd 3 Holford Yard Bevin Way London WC1X 9HD www.profilebooks.com Copyright © The Economist Newspaper Ltd 2018 All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise), without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of this book. The greatest care has been taken in compiling this book. However, no responsibility can be accepted by the publishers or compilers for the accuracy of the information presented. Where opinion is expressed it is that of the author and does not necessarily coincide with the editorial views of The Economist Newspaper. While every effort has been made to contact copyright-holders of material produced or cited in this book, in the case of those it has not been possible to contact successfully, the author and publishers will be glad to make amendments in further editions. Typeset in Milo by MacGuru Ltd A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library ISBN 9781788161367 eISBN 9781782834847 Contents Introduction: the case for being seriously curious Seriously curious: unexpected explanations to stretch your mind Why polygamy makes civil wars more likely Why there is a shortage of sand How shoelaces untie themselves Why the sea is salty Why diamond production may be about to peak Why Boko Haram prefers female suicide bombers Move over, oil. Which countries have the most lithium? Why the global arms trade is booming What do think-tanks do? How to measure the black market for cigarettes Mapping the rise and fall of witch-hunting Globally curious: peculiar proclivities from around the world Why spaghetti is smuggled across the Sahara Why so many places are called Guinea – and turkeys don’t come from Turkey Why New Zealand has so many gang members Why the exorcism business is booming in France Why China has the world’s worst flight delays Why Somaliland is east Africa’s strongest democracy Why yurts are going out of style in Mongolia Which cities have the highest murder rates? Why young Britons are committing fewer crimes How car colours reflect Britain’s national mood Why Swedes overpay their taxes Mapping the world’s mega-rich Why nobody knows how many Nigerians there are Why Chinese children born in the year of the dragon are more successful Sexual selection: love, sex and marriage Why the sperm-bank business is booming How porn consumption changed during Hawaii’s false alarm Why transgender people are being sterilised in some European countries How opinions on acceptable male behaviour vary by age, sex and nationality What porn and listings sites reveal about Britain’s gay population Attitudes to same-sex relationships around the world Why couples do more housework than single people What men and women think about their partners’ careers and housework How fracking boosts birth rates What explains Europe’s low birth rates? Why America still allows child marriage Also on the menu: oddities of food and drink The surprising link between avocados and crime Why China’s dog-meat market has expanded Why obesity is a growing problem in poor countries The Argentine–American lemon war of 2001–2018 Which European country has t