Hi there! I’m John Green, and welcome to my fun corner of the internet! Did you know that only about 10% of people actually enjoy speaking in front of a big crowd? That’s right! If you’re one of those people, you’re pretty unique. Today, we’re going to explore some other interesting ways people can be different from the crowd. These facts come from various surveys, so they might change over time, but let’s dive in and see how you might stand out!
Did you know that 9% of pet owners throw birthday parties for their pets? That’s a lot of party hats and treats! If you meditate, you’re also in the minority—only about 8% of Americans do. Interestingly, there are fewer Jewish Americans than people who meditate, with only 2.2% practicing Judaism.
When it comes to using smartphones, 9% of people think it’s okay to use their phone during a movie at the theater. But just a heads up—most people think that’s a no-no!
If you’ve ever had a drink and didn’t get a hangover, you’re among the lucky 25% who don’t experience them. And if you’re a guy who owns a TV but doesn’t watch sports, you’re in a small group—only 8% of men fit that description. It’s similar for women, with 7% not watching sports, although younger women tend to watch more sports than younger men.
About 30% of Americans don’t take any prescription drugs, so if you’re one of them, you’re in the minority. And speaking of unusual habits, only 25% of people don’t use their phones in the bathroom!
Only 3% of people change their sheets every day. When it comes to online dating, just 10% of young adults aged 18 to 24 use dating apps. If you met your partner at a bar, you’re rare too—only 2% of men and 9% of women did.
Red hair is also uncommon, with only 1 to 2% of the world’s population having it. And if you’re afraid of the dark, you’re in a small group—just 2% of men and 8% of women have this fear.
Regular sunscreen users are in the minority, with 14.3% of men and 29.9% of women applying it to their face and body. If you’ve ever visited a tanning salon after a vacation, you’re among the 4% who do.
Some people have unique genetic traits, like 2% of people with European ancestry who have non-smelly armpits due to a special gene. And if you’re an early bird or a night owl, you’re part of a small group—only 10% are early risers, and 20% prefer staying up late.
In the early 2000s, only 10% of people in the U.S. never littered. And if you dream of having a robot baby, you’re among the 11% who do. If you’ve achieved a New Year’s resolution, you’re unique—only 8% have done so.
When it comes to social media, 8% of users don’t have Facebook. And if you believe in ghosts, you’re not alone—18% of people think they’ve seen one.
Only 10% of Americans can name all four presidents on Mount Rushmore: Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln. And some people still mix up tech terms—11% thought HTML was an STD!
If you don’t know how to ride a bike, you’re in the 6% who don’t. And if you back into parking spaces, you’re among the 6% who do in the U.S., but in China, it’s much more common.
Thanks for joining me on this journey of discovering how unique you might be. Remember, being different is awesome, so embrace it!
Conduct a survey among your classmates to find out how many share some of the unique traits mentioned in the article, such as enjoying public speaking or not using a phone in the bathroom. Create a chart to display the results and discuss how your class compares to the statistics in the article.
Write a short story or essay about a unique trait or habit you have. Explain how it makes you different and how it has impacted your life. Share your story with the class to celebrate everyone’s uniqueness.
Choose one of the uncommon habits or preferences from the article, such as using a phone during a movie or throwing a birthday party for a pet. Divide into groups and hold a debate on whether this habit is beneficial or not. Present your arguments to the class.
Pick one of the surprising statistics from the article and research more about it. Find out why this statistic might be the way it is and present your findings to the class. Discuss how societal trends might influence these statistics over time.
Create an art piece that represents your unique traits or the concept of uniqueness in general. Use any medium you like, such as drawing, painting, or digital art. Display your artwork in the classroom and explain its significance to your classmates.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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Hi, I’m John Green. Welcome to my salon! This is a Mental Floss video, and did you know that 10% of people love public speaking? That’s right—about one in ten people have no anxiety about speaking in front of a large group. So if that’s you, you’re a bit unusual! Anyway, that’s the first of many rare things people do that I’m going to share with you in this video today. Keep in mind that these numbers come from various polls and surveys and are subject to change, but basically, we’re going to find out today how you might be unique.
About 9% of pet owners throw birthday parties for their pets. Also, if you practice meditation, you’re in the minority—only around 8% of Americans do. Interestingly, there are actually fewer practicing Jewish Americans than Americans who meditate, as only about 2.2% of U.S. citizens practice Judaism.
The financial news website The Street recently took a poll about smartphone use and found that 9% of people think it’s acceptable to use your phone during a movie at the theater. I just want to state for the record that if you’re in that significant yet not significant enough minority, that’s not okay—you cannot use your phone at the theater!
Of the people who have drunk to the point of intoxication in their lives, 25% don’t get hangovers. So far, I’m not unusual at all. If you’re a television-owning male who doesn’t watch sports, you’re in a small club—only 8% of guys who own TVs watch no sports at all, according to Nielsen data. It’s virtually the same for women, with 7% of women watching no sports, although younger women are more likely to watch sports than younger men.
According to the Mayo Clinic, just 30% of Americans take no prescription drugs, so if you have no prescriptions at the moment, you’re in the minority. I’m still not feeling unusual yet, but let’s talk bathroom habits. You’re considered unusual if you don’t use your phone in the bathroom—only 25% of Americans haven’t. Believe it or not, according to a study conducted by Michigan State University, only a small percentage of people wash their hands properly after using a public restroom.
Speaking of hygiene, 3% of people change their sheets every day. Although online dating is a frequent topic of conversation these days, only about 10% of Americans between the ages of 18 and 24 use online dating. But maybe you don’t online date because you met your significant other at a bar—turns out that makes you rare, as just 2% of men and 9% of women met their significant other at a bar or club.
Of course, the best place to meet your significant other is at the office—unless you work at this office, in which case that is absolutely banned. Only 1 to 2% of the world’s population has red hair, and I know that because I’ve tried to signal most of the world’s gingers to my FIFA team.
Your fears might also make you uncommon. For instance, the dark is an uncommon phobia, affecting only 2% of men and 8% of women. Dogs are a slightly more common phobia, but just 7% of men and 14% of women are afraid of dogs. Believe it or not, if you wear sunscreen, you are in the minority. According to a 2013 survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 14.3% of men and 29.9% of women use sunscreen regularly on both their face and bodies.
4% of Americans report having visited a tanning salon after their vacations, which is odd. If anyone has ever told you that your armpits don’t smell, first of all, they’re unusual, but you might be unique too. One study found that 2% of people with European ancestry have non-smelly armpits thanks to a variant of the ABCC11 gene. If your ancestry is East Asian, then you’re in the minority if you do have smelly armpits, but 95% of these superhumans still wear deodorant.
Only one in ten people are true early birds, and just two in ten prefer to stay up late. If you find that you need much less sleep than most people, you might be in the 1 to 3% of people who only need between 5 and 6 hours of sleep per night. That’s about the same percentage of people that can actually multitask. Researchers at the University of Utah found that only 2% of people can truly multitask.
In the early 2000s, estimates found that only 10% of people in the United States never litter. So basically, all you need to do to be special is not be terrible. In 2014, researchers at Middlesex University surveyed about 2,000 people in the United Kingdom and found that 11% of people want a robot baby. At first, I thought that was fairly reasonable—who wouldn’t want a tiny Roomba? But no, they meant a robot baby like an actual robot.
If you’re excited about the prospect of parenting an Android, you can consider yourself special. But I’m just going to throw this out there—you could also just not litter and feel equally special. According to a survey of 3,000 adults, around 6% have their childhood dream job. I’m guessing it’s all the ballet dancers, firefighters, and then Barack Obama.
If you’re certain the world is going to end in your lifetime, people like you make up 15% of the population. In 2012, 10% of us experienced anxiety about the world ending that year. I say “us” because I saw the movie “2012” starring John Cusack, and it seemed very real.
If you’ve ever achieved a New Year’s resolution that you set, you’re pretty unique—only about 8% of people have managed to do that. Do you have Instagram, Twitter, or Snapchat but not Facebook? That’s unusual—only 8% of social media users don’t use Facebook. In 2009, the Pew Research Center surveyed Americans about the supernatural, and it turns out that 18% of people believe they’ve seen a ghost or encountered one.
An even smaller percentage of people are ghostbusters. In 2014, researchers at the University of Hong Kong surveyed people from 31 different countries about internet usage and determined that 6% of people in the world suffer from internet addiction. But what is addiction really like? If you do something all the time and can’t live without it, is that addiction? I don’t think so.
At the University of Barcelona, psychologists conducted a study to examine music’s effect on our emotions and found that 5% of people don’t consider music important or emotional at all. Let’s talk knowledge of American history for a second. According to one survey, 90% of Americans can’t name all four presidents on Mount Rushmore. So if you just remember these four names—Washington, Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln—you’re in the 10%.
Similarly, only about 20% of Americans know that there are 100 U.S. senators. A few people still struggle with tech terms as well; as of 2014, 11% of Americans thought HTML was an STD. HTML actually stands for Hypertext Markup Language, and it’s basically the language that your browser reads to display web pages on your computer.
Also, 12% of Americans reported thinking that the U.S. was a country in Europe, making questions like “Does your computer have a USB port?” fascinating and hilarious. I’m not sure—I assume there’s a port. There aren’t a lot of landlocked European nations, you know? But then again, to be fair, there are a bunch of countries in the former Yugoslavia. Who knows for sure if USB is one of them?
Maybe riding a bike never came naturally to you—well, you’re not alone. As of 2013, about 6% of Americans claimed they didn’t know how to ride a bike. Finally, I returned to my salon to tell you that if you back into parking spaces, you’re in the minority in the United States—only about 6% of people do that here. But in China, you’re not so special; about 88% of people there back in.
Thanks for watching this Mental Floss video, which is made with the help of all these lovely people. Let me know how you’re unique in the comments, and as we say in my hometown, don’t forget to be awesome!
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This version removes any inappropriate language and maintains a respectful tone throughout.
Unique – Being the only one of its kind; unlike anything else. – Each person’s personality is unique, making them special in their own way.
Habits – Regular practices or routines that are hard to change. – Developing good study habits can help improve your grades in school.
Preferences – A greater liking for one alternative over another or others. – Some people have preferences for spending time alone, while others enjoy being with friends.
Statistics – Numerical data collected and analyzed to understand patterns or trends. – Statistics show that more teenagers are using social media than ever before.
Trends – General directions in which something is developing or changing. – Recent trends indicate that more people are becoming aware of mental health issues.
Health – The state of being free from illness or injury. – Maintaining good mental health is just as important as physical health.
Lifestyle – The way in which a person lives, including their habits and behaviors. – A healthy lifestyle includes regular exercise and a balanced diet.
Choices – Decisions made between two or more possibilities. – Making healthy food choices can have a positive impact on your overall well-being.
Social – Relating to society or its organization. – Being social can help improve your communication skills and build friendships.
Media – The main means of mass communication, such as television, radio, and newspapers. – The media can influence how people think about important social issues.
