I’m always on the lookout  for interesting stories that one can tell with statistics — and cautionary tales about misusing statistics in order to create news where there isn’t any.

Via MetaFilter — this OK Cupid article breaks down responses to user-generated dating profile questions. Green states were more likely to answer “yes” than the national average (yellow), and red states were more likely to answer “no”.  Note that this doesn’t even come close to representing a statistical average of the population — just the answers collected by the OK Cupid dating service.

Would you date someone just for the sex?

data set: 448,000 people answered

The answers to the question about daily showering are also worth a look.