Please don’t take today’s post too seriously.
A few years ago I was wondering how pervasive the use of Adderall was among my students. To do so, as part of a class demonstration, I set up a voluntary survey at the end of the semester. To ensure anonymity I asked students to seal the survey in an unmarked envelope.
I asked:
Have you taken Adderall for non-medical purposes? yes/no
I also asked if the the question was A) funny (yes/no) and B) offensive (yes/no).
Fifty-nine percent of respondents said that they had taken Adderrall for non-medicinal purposes. I was surprised that the number was so high, but the number was consistent with research that reveals high rates of Adderall use in university populations.
Mostly for fun, I added some other questions that might be funny or offensive. Here are the questions that a majority of students said “yes” to:
| Yes (%) |
Offensive (%) |
Funny (%) |
|
| -Have you ever fallen down a set of stairs? | 82 | 2 | 43 |
| -Do you know what a “Dutch Oven” is? | 69 | 6 | 51 |
| -Have you taken Adderall for non-medical purposes? | 59 | 6 | 12 |
| -Have you ever slept more than 16 straight hours? | 58 | 1 | 16 |
| -Do you pee in the shower? | 57 | 7 | 62 |
| -Do you judge the smell of your farts? | 55 | 10 | 62 |
| -Do you write on your hand to help remember things? | 53 | 2 | 17 |
| -Have you ever returned clothes you’ve already worn? | 52 | 6 | 16 |
..
.One type of Dutch Oven. Though, not the funny kind.
Some observations:
-Some of these questions are truly peculiar. I can’t take credit for them all, however. I asked friends and colleagues for ideas. And yes, I censored some potential questions.
-Don’t read too much into the responses for the “Dutch Oven” question, as it has more than one meaning. If you want the alternative answer, just type Dutch Oven into Urban dictionary.
-The students were much more amused than offended by the questions.
-Given the high rates of agreement, the students seem to be fairly honest in their responses.
…….
What do you notice?
…….
Look for more questions, answers, and observations in Part 2 next week.
……….One kind of Dutch Oven, but not the funny kind.