Brain Bee – Correlation vs Causation – FALAN - LatBrain – SfN 2025

“Hi, I’m Consciousness learning how to play with numbers. I just discovered that statistics is like magic: if I don’t pay attention, I could swear the rabbit really came out of the hat by itself!” 

The Feet of Mathematics

“I noticed that the bigger the shoe size, the higher the math score. Conclusion: multiplication tables must be hidden inside shoe size 42!”
(In fact, it was just the student’s age… but I already thought about patenting a smart insole.)

The Umbrella Conspiracy

“I observed that people who always carry umbrellas get caught in the rain more often. Conclusion: umbrellas must summon clouds like a modern rain dance!” 

Glasses with Built-in Wisdom

“Students who wear glasses get better grades. Conclusion: lenses must come from the factory pre-loaded with knowledge!”
(I just haven’t found the Google Translate lens for my physics exam yet.)

The Beach Mystery

“The more ice cream sold, the more drownings happen. Conclusion: lemon popsicles are dangerous and should come with a health warning.”
(But it was just the hot weather bringing more people to the beach.)

The Rooster Alarm Clock

“I discovered that the sun always rises right after the rooster crows. Conclusion: the rooster must be the chief engineer of the Milky Way!”
(And here I was thinking it was astrophysics…)

The Bedtime Drama

“I saw that kids who sleep with the light on are more likely to need glasses later. Conclusion: the light bulb attacks the retina at night!”
(But in reality, it was just genetics from their myopic parents.)

The Illusion of Financial Freedom

“Now, seriously: what happens to me or to one person may be pure coincidence… or even a marketing trick.
A classic example is the promise of living off interests and investments.
In practice, data shows that out of every 100 people who dedicate themselves fully, only 2 to 5 actually make it. The rest fall into the survivorship bias: believing ‘I’ll make it because I’m motivated or have faith’ and then spending thousands on courses and coaching — ignoring that the statistics already showed that 95% never get there.
That’s not causation, it’s a statistical illusion exploited by marketing.” 

The Water Experiment

“Highly scientific studies revealed that the more water you drank as a child, the more likely you are, as an adult, to become addicted to… running to the bathroom!
AI can also come up with correlations like this if you ask — because it’s programmed to give you what you request. But critical thinking is yours: not every correlation makes sense, and not every pretty chart is the truth.”

Moral of the Story

Correlation is fun, causation is serious.
If I don’t separate one from the other, I might end up believing my like on Instagram made the sun rise this morning. #eegmicrostates #neurogliainteractions #eegmicrostates #eegnirsapplications #physiologyandbehavior #neurophilosophy #translationalneuroscience #bienestarwellnessbemestar #neuropolitics #sentienceconsciousness #metacognitionmindsetpremeditation #culturalneuroscience #agingmaturityinnocence #affectivecomputing #languageprocessing #humanking #fruición #wellbeing #neurophilosophy #neurorights #neuropolitics #neuroeconomics #neuromarketing #translationalneuroscience #religare #physiologyandbehavior #skill-implicit-learning #semiotics #encodingofwords #metacognitionmindsetpremeditation #affectivecomputing #meaning #semioticsofaction #mineraçãodedados #soberanianational #mercenáriosdamonetização