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January 20, 2004

Santa Researcher Makes List, Checks It Twice

by Red Wolf

United States: Kids these days don't smile when they visit Santa Claus, according to research performed by Ig Nobel Prize winner John Trinkaus of the Zicklin School of Business. Professor Trinkaus observed children at two large shopping malls and a major department store, noting each child's facial expression as the children visited Santa Claus. Every child was accompanied by a parent or guardian.

What Professor Trinkaus saw surprised and saddened him. More than 95% of the children were visibly indifferent or hesitant as they approached Santa. Only one percent of them smiled or showed other signs of happiness. On the other hand, Professor Trinkaus noted, nearly all of the parents were visibly quite happy and excited.

Some Limitations of the Study (Pointed out by Professor Trinkaus)
  1. These were the subjective judgments of one observer.
  2. The study cannot be replicated.
  3. The researcher has no knowledge of the value system of individual subjects.
  4. The expressions on subjects' faces could be attributable to events that came before or events that were to come after the observation.
  5. The researcher doesn't know what individual subjects were thinking about.
  6. Some effects may be attributable to parental (or guardian's) influence.
  7. The researcher doesn't know what individual subjects expected Santa to look like.
  8. There were other attractions in the immediate area.
Discussion by Professor Trinkaus
The results might suggest a hardening of society, even down to the level of kids. It might suggest a loss of innocence — that kids are growing up too fast, that childhood is vanishing, that the culture is changing and that pragmatism is what counts.

Modern Kids Don't Smile When They Visit Santa - The Annals of Improbable Research, 8th December 2003.

Posted in Superstition and Other Silliness at 01:51. Last modified on September 28 2006 at 23:42.
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Comments

1: Posted by: Nix | January 20, 2004 9:29 AM

Ah, just as wonderful as all of Trinkaus's papers.

(It's not clear if this is one of his Informal Look set or not, but if it isn't, it should be.)

Wax lyrical

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