Suppose we find a strong positive correlation between how happy people are and how many friends they have.Which conclusion,if any,can we draw?
A)Being happy helps you make friends.
B)Having friends makes you happy.
C)Being healthy increases happiness, and also increases the chance of friendships.
D)None of these conclusions follow from the data.

Question

Suppose we find a strong positive correlation between how happy people are and how many friends they have.Which conclusion,if any,can we draw?​
A)Being happy helps you make friends.
B)​Having friends makes you happy.
C)​Being healthy increases happiness, and also increases the chance of friendships.
D)​None of these conclusions follow from the data.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

A strong positive correlation between happiness and the number of friends does not imply causation or the direction of any causal relationship. It merely indicates that as one variable increases, so does the other. Without further information, we cannot determine if happiness leads to more friends, if having more friends leads to happiness, or if a third factor influences both.

Suppose We Find a Strong Positive Correlation Between How Happy