Research Guides: Choose Your News: Zombie Statistics

Zombie Statistics

What are Zombie Statistics?

Wikipedia's Wiktionary defines Zombie Statistics as "A piece of information that is frequently cited by experts and institutions, despite having no basis in research or reality." (1)

You may have encountered zombie statistics before, but just in case you need some examples, here are some of the most common:

1. People only use 10% of their brain capacity

According to the British Medical Journal (2), :The belief that we use only 10% of our brains has persisted for over a century, despite dramatic advances in neuroscience. In another extensive expert literature review, Barry Beyerstein provides a detailed account of the origins of this myth and the evidence disputing it." In fact, many brain imaging studies have shown that no areas of the brain are ever completely inactive.

2. You need to walk 10,000 steps per day to stay healthy

There has never been any scientific evidence that supports this number. The origin of this number can be traced back to a marketing campaign for a Japanese pedometer called "manpo-kei" which means "10,000 steps meter". As the University of Northern Arizona reports, "The number 10,000 was chosen simply for its simplicity and catchiness." (3)

3. You need to drink 8 glasses of water a day

According to Dr. Aaron Carroll who published an article in the New York Times in 2015, the source of this statistic was a "1945 Food and Nutrition Board recommendation that said people need about 2.5 liters of water a day. But they ignored the sentence that followed closely behind. It read, "Most of this quantity is contained in prepared foods." (4) Dr. Carroll notes that the idea that you need an extra 2.5 liters (85 ounces) of water every day is simply not true. There's no scientific evidence to support it, and randomized controlled studies of fluid intake failed to find any benefits of drinking that much water.

1. Wiktionary contributors, "zombie statistic," Wiktionary, https://en.wiktionary.org/w/index.php?title=zombie_statistic&oldid=76235566

2. Vreeman R C, Carroll A E. Medical myths BMJ 2007; 335 :1288 doi:10.1136/bmj.39420.420370.25

3. Kirby, Rae. "Myth Debunked: 10,000 Steps a Day is Required for Good Health". University Coaching for Activity and Nutrition. Northern Arizona University. 10/31/2023. https://in.nau.edu/ucan/myth-debunked-10000-steps-a-day-is-required-for-good-health/.

4. Carroll, Aaron E. 2015. "The Persistent Health Myth of 8 Glasses of Water a Day." The New York Times, A3.

What Can You Do?

The best way to deal with Zombie Statistics is to critically evaluate your sources, and trace back information. If the source you're using doesn't cite the information it's reporting, you may want to seriously consider dropping that source and using another. If an article gives numbers or provides charts and graphs, do a search in Google and see if you can verify and confirm that information through other sources.