Social & Behavioral Paradoxes
Friendship Paradox - On average, your friends have more friends than you do. This is a mathematical certainty!...
Jevons Paradox - Increasing efficiency in resource use often leads to INCREASED total consumption, not decreased!...
Waiting Time Paradox - If buses arrive every 10 minutes on average, your expected wait is NOT 5 minutes - it's longer!...
Sleeping Beauty Paradox - Sleeping Beauty is woken and asked the probability the coin was heads. Is it 1/2 or 1/3?...
Unexpected Hanging Paradox - A judge says: "You'll be hanged one day next week, and it will be a surprise." Can this ever be true...
Paradox of Choice - More options should make us happier, but too many choices leads to anxiety and regret....
Willpower Paradox - People with more self-control use it less. They structure life to avoid temptation....
Paradox of Hedonism - Directly pursuing pleasure often leads to unhappiness. Happiness is a byproduct, not a goal....
Dating App Paradox - Apps designed to help you find love make it harder. Infinite options = impossible choices....
Hispanic Paradox - Hispanic Americans live longer than white Americans despite lower income and healthcare access....
Violence Paradox - Despite news coverage, violence has dramatically declined over human history. We live in the most pe...
Downs-Thomson Paradox - Building more roads can increase traffic congestion. More capacity invites more drivers until equili...
Tullock Paradox - Politicians are surprisingly cheap to bribe relative to the value they provide. Why is influence so ...
Prosperity Paradox - Successful generations often raise children who consume rather than create. Abundance breeds complac...
Demographic-Economic Paradox - Wealthier nations have fewer children despite being able to afford more. Prosperity reduces fertilit...
No-Show Paradox - In some voting systems, voting can cause your candidate to LOSE....
Fenno's Paradox - Americans disapprove of Congress but keep reelecting their own representatives....
Democracy Paradox - Democratic voters can elect a tyrant who ends democracy....
Stability-Instability Paradox - Nuclear weapons prevent major wars but enable minor conflicts....
Prevention Paradox - Population-wide health measures help few individuals but many in aggregate....
Navigation Paradox - More precise navigation can lead to more collisions....
Progress Paradox - Despite material progress, people aren't happier....