The Letters Game

‘“OI, take your eyes off Carol Vorderman for a minute and take a look at today’s Countdown conundrum – C-H-R-I-S-M-T-A-S.”

T-A-R-T-Y

Okay, so the clock’s ticking…and what have you got. CAT? SAT? MAT? Yes, all good, but we suspect you’re not trying hard enough.

You are what experts from the Social Issues Research Centre would describe as “lazy”.

You see, the Express says that psychologists there reckon the words you first see among a jumbled group of letters says a lot about your personality.

Take the letters G-H-N-O-P-R-Y. The lazy person will choose HOG or HOP; the ordinary person will choose PRY; the sexual person will opt for HORNY; the negative person will go for PONG, the creative type will see PONY and the smart will come up with GRYPHON.

The centre’s Peter Marsh says people’s responses are influenced by what is known as their ‘attentional set’.

“If you have a particularly high sex drive, you will probably be seeing a lot of sexually related words,” he tells the Express.

“We might also expect the occupation of a professional person to be reflected in the words they identify.”

So, going back to our original conundrum, what words did you spot?

If you came up with CHASM, you’re negative; if you saw STAIRS, you’re creative; if you saw MASH, you’re probably Vanessa Feltz; if you saw CHRISTMAS, you’re ordinary – and if you saw HOLIDAY SEASON, then you should apply for a job at your local council.’

Posted: 10th, December 2004 | In: Tabloids Comment | TrackBack | Permalink