Holiday Survival Guide: How to talk about scientific studies around the dinner table – Normal Curves: Sexy Science, Serious Statistics

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Does a little alcohol really make you speak a foreign language better? This week we unpack a quirky randomized trial that tested Dutch pronunciation after a modest buzz—and came to the opposite conclusion the researchers expected. We use it as the perfect holiday case study: instead of arguing with Uncle Joe at the dinner table, we’ll show you how to pull apart a scientific headline using a friendly, practical checklist anyone can learn. Along the way we stress-test the study’s claims, take a quick detour into what a .04% buzz actually looks like, and run our own before-and-after experiment with two brave science journalists at the ScienceWriters2025 conference in Chicago. A holiday survival guide with vodka tonics, statistical sleuthing, and a few surprisingly smooth French phrases.

Statistical topics

Alternative explanations
Arithmetic consistency / GRIM test
Blinding
Effect size / magnitude
Generalizability / external validity
Observational studies vs. experiments
Outcome measurement
PICOT framework
Placebo and expectancy effects
Primary outcomes / pre-specification
Randomized controlled trials
Research hypotheses
Sample size
SMART framework
Statistical significance (signal vs. noise)
Transparency and trustworthiness

Methodological morals

“You don't need a PhD to read a study. Just remember, PICOT and SMART.”
“A decimal point can mean the difference between life and death. Details matter.”

References