Had un oeuf of spurious research?

Researchers this week claimed that they can predict personality, lifestyle and even sex drive by how a person eats their eggs.

In what can only be termed slightly eggstravagant claims, the research team found that poached egg eaters are outgoing, listen to upbeat music and are happier; boiled egg consumers are disorganised; fried egg fans have a high sex drive; scrambled egg aficionados are guarded and omelette eaters are self-disciplined.

Covered by The Telegraph, Mail and Express, the research may have been tongue-in-cheek, but the level of media and public interest highlights our insatiable appetite for pop science.

As is regularly the case, the research is part of a PR campaign – once you read down the articles, you realise that this scientific breakthrough is all in the cause of British Egg Week.

But, while we can’t and shouldn’t take the research too seriously, it does pose some questions about researchers and the use of their work in marketing campaigns: 

• There is rarely sufficient appreciation of the flaws in the research e.g. small sample size. 
• The focus is largely on the outcomes of the research with little information about the methodology, which can bias the results. 
• The pressure to find ‘media friendly results’ can lead to huge over-simplification.

That’s why all Linstock consultants go on a research methodologies course to ensure they understand how to undertake, evaluate and promote research.

When there is so much excellent academic research available it is arguably a shame that the media focuses on pop science. After all, research is no yolking matter. 

Simon Maule

Director

simon@linstockcommunications.com