Super Thinking: The Big Book of Mental Models

by Gabriel Weinberg

Unfortunately, studies are much, much more likely to be published if they show statistically significant results, which causes publication bias. Studies that fail to find statistically significant results are still scientifically meaningful, but both researchers and publications have a bias against them for a variety of reasons. For example, there are only so many pages in a publication, and given the choice, publications would rather publish studies with significant findings over ones with none. That’s because successful studies are more likely to attract attention from media and other researchers. Additionally, studies showing significant results are more likely to contribute to the careers of the researchers, where publication is often a requirement to advance.