Can you guess what most people’s favorite number is?
It is seven!
This is now supported by statistical evidence. In a poll conducted online by Alex Bellos, a British author and math blogger, 10% out of the 3,000 participants chose seven as their favorite number.
This is potentially because the number seven is considered lucky in many cultures. It is frequently used to describe positive or universally accepted things. For instance, it is the number of days in a week, the wonders of the world, the number of colors of the rainbow, and the number of continents in the world.
On top of that, seven has a unique arithmetical quality! It is the only single digit number that, when multiplied or divided, doesn’t result in an answer from the 1-10 number set.
There are many other things about this number that are unique. It is the most likely dice roll, since there is no result for the first die that would exclude 7 as the total. On top of that, seven is the only number from the 1-10 grouping that has two syllables.
Can you guess what most people’s favorite number is?
It is seven!
This is now supported by statistical evidence. In a poll conducted online by Alex Bellos, a British author and math blogger, 10% out of the 3,000 participants chose seven as their favorite number.
This is potentially because the number seven is considered lucky in many cultures. It is frequently used to describe positive or universally accepted things. For instance, it is the number of days in a week, the wonders of the world, the number of colors of the rainbow, and the number of continents in the world.
On top of that, seven has a unique arithmetical quality! It is the only single digit number that, when multiplied or divided, doesn’t result in an answer from the 1-10 number set.
There are many other things about this number that are unique. It is the most likely dice roll, since there is no result for the first die that would exclude 7 as the total. On top of that, seven is the only number from the 1-10 grouping that has two syllables.
Another explanation is that people just like prime numbers. The number 3 - also a prime number - is the runner-up in the poll. This could be due to the fact that many things come in triplets, such as atom components (electrons, protons, and neutrons) or the phases of the elements in the periodic table (vapor, liquid, and solid). There is also the connection to the Holy Trinity - 3 is oftentimes referred to as the “divine” number (there are seven days of creation in the Book of Genesis).
It is not just the prime numbers that people favored in the poll, however. The composite number 8 took third place, since it is considered lucky in Chinese and other Asian cultures and has a known association with success and good fortune.
Surprisingly, the number 13, which many link with bad luck and superstitiously fear, is also among the top 10 favorite numbers. It takes the 6th place!
As the results of the poll suggest, it would appear that people have a strong preference for single digit numbers, such as the numbers from 2-9 grouping (all of which make the top 10!). Therefore, bigger numbers tend to be less popular - the number 42 takes the 11th place. Round numbers are favored even less; as Bellos writes, this could be because they are viewed as “approximations”. The number 110, which is both a non two digit number and a round one at that, is the least favorite number among those submitted, proving the theory.
In addition to that, the survey also found that people seem to prefer odd numbers over even ones and prime numbers over non primes.
The significance of the number 7 and other odd numbers has been pointed out and proved in other polls, too. Miho Saito, a Japanese professor specializing in cognitive science, conducted a similar experiment, surveying students. More than one fifth of the respondents to the questionnaire selected 7 as their favorite number! When they were asked to explain their choice, they highlighted the number’s association with luck.
The submissions reveal that people don’t just like numbers for their arithmetical properties. They also pick numbers they have an emotional response to (perhaps, influenced by cultural beliefs), or if it’s somehow connected to their daily life (for instance, choosing 7 because Sunday is the seventh day of the week).
Would you also submit 7 as your favorite number or would you choose a different number?
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