Randall Munroe of xkcd fame conducted a web survey on color perception, and here are the results on (chromosomal) sex differences (although the correct labels should be “Actual color names if you do not have a Y chromosome” versus “Actual color names if you have a Y chromosome”):
This contrasts with and debunks the Doghouse Diaries webcomic’s made-up chart about gender differences in color perception (if Doghouse Diaries is assuming that “gender” and “sex” are synonymous for the purposes of their chart):
Perhaps men’s stereotype that women use more words than men on average derives from men’s perception that women talk too much.
Gender & Sex & Randall Munroe
What I liked when I took Randall’s color survey was that this was one of demographic questions:
Originally, Randall’s color survey was unrelated to the Doghouse Diaries comic, since his survey asked about chromosomal sex due to interest in color blindness. Some people took issue with his Color Survey results, probably because of the problematic wording of his color chart given that he asked about Y chromosomes.
However, given the overwhelming ignorance about gender typical of male geeks, I was impressed by the original survey question on chromosomal sex. Unlike most male geeks who apply their intelligence only to certain narrow topics and then stop educating themselves when pontificating about everything else, Randall lives and breathes geekiness. Randall doesn’t geek about just math, science, computers, language, and cryptography, but he geeks about every aspect of life. This is what it means to be a true geek.
Although Randall made a mistake, the fact that he geeks about gender is undeniably hot:
The role of gender in society is the most complicated thing I’ve ever spent a lot of time learning about, and I’ve spent a lot of time learning about quantum mechanics.
Related links:
- Nice Guy (TM) at XKCD by Restructure!
- How it Works at xkcd
