From stretch marks to sex, a new study exposes what we really want to know
What would you Google if you were pregnant? Well, according to a new study, stretch marks and sex are key search terms - depending on which part of the world you're from.
Conducted by Google data scientist Seth Stephens-Davidowitz for The New York Times , the study reveals a range of search trends which vary by region. Spanning 20 countries, the results make for an interesting read. While losing weight and preventing stretch marks were the top keywords for the US, UK and Australia, having sex and sleep advice came up top in South Africa, India and Nigeria.
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When it comes to food and drink, shrimp, wine, coffee and Tylenol were key concerns in the US, dairy products were top in Australia and interestingly, cold water in Nigeria. When it came to cravings though, the findings were pretty similar across the board with ice, salt, sweets and fruit all scoring highly.
According to Seth Stephens-Davidowitz, “Interestingly, the huge differences in questions posed around the world have only a small amount to do with different diets. They are most likely caused by the overwhelming flood of information coming from disparate sources in each country: legitimate scientific studies, so-so scientific studies, old wives’ tales and neighbourhood chatter. It is difficult for women to know what to focus on — or what to Google.”
How about soon-to-be-dads though? Well, it looks like we might be better off moving to Mexico, where expectant fathers can be found Googling “words of love to my pregnant wife,” and “poems for my pregnant wife”, compared to the US where the top searches were hilariously, “my wife is pregnant now what” and “my wife is pregnant what do I do.” Who said romance was dead?
Reflecting a diverse range of concerns spanning an array of different cultures and belief systems, it’s interesting to see how pregnancy’s interpreted on the web. With valid questions, some of which perhaps require the privacy of our own computers instead of face to face contact, it provides a valuable insight into the different perspectives on health around the world and proves that no matter what your question about pregnancy is, we can all take comfort from the fact that someone out there is probably wondering the same thing as you.