Why We Love Lists

We cannot escape lists. 

On social media platforms we post lists such as 25 Random Things About Me, or My Top 10 Places To Live. We make lists about movies, books, games, music, pretty much anything and everything that we find interesting. 

Some of the most popular articles, podcasts, videos and blogs are a variation of someone sharing their personal top picks in a particular area. There are long lists and short lists, odd and even lists, top 10 and top 100 lists, in fact, there is no shortage to the format that we will pursue to share our personal passions with other humans.

But lists go beyond just sharing information. 

Lists also help us make decisions. For instance, when George W. Bush wanted to find a suitable vice-presidential candidate, he asked his chief-of-staff to draw up a short list, which ironically ended up with Dick Cheney, his chief-of-staff, at the top of that list.

"Enough organization, enough lists and we think we can control the uncontrollable," said a character on the TV show House, and that is another reason to the popularity of list making.

So what are Top 5 reasons we love lists? Let's count the ways:

Let Them Hear . . .

 

The Toughest Sport In The World Is . . .

[Reprinted from ESPN.com | Page 2 Article | "Sport Skills" |

We sized them up. We measured them, top to bottom. We've done our own Tale of the Tape, and we've come to a surprising conclusion. Pound for pound, the toughest sport in the world is . . .

Boxing. The Sweet Science.

That's the sport that demands the most from the athletes who compete in it. It's harder than football, harder than baseball, harder than basketball, harder than hockey or soccer or cycling or skiing or fishing or billiards or any other of the 60 sports we rated.

But don't take our word for it. Take the word of our panel of experts, a group made up of sports scientists from the United States Olympic Committee, of academicians who study the science of muscles and movement, of a star two-sport athlete, and of journalists who spend their professional lives watching athletes succeed and fail.

They're the ones who told us that boxing is the most demanding sport -- and that fishing is the least demanding sport.

The Promise in any Disappointment