Olga's Rationality Scale

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Here you get a chance to test your rationality using "Olga's Rationality Scale."
You have 76 points to start with. Subtract 1 if:

 

1. You believe one can actually “jinx” somebody.

2. You say “knock on wood” (subtract 2 points if you actually knock on wood).

3. You think that having someone in your prayers can actually help them (even if they don’t know it and thus don’t benefit psychologically from knowing you care).

4. You think vaccines cause autism.

5. You think dreams actually predict the future (separately from your cognition).

6. You think the full moon causes you to have headaches.

7. You believe in horoscopes / astrology.

8. You think telepathy is real.

9. You would refuse wearing clothing of a serial killer but won't admit that any bad consequences that might come from it are merely because of your own mind messing with you.

10. You believe in “signs” but refuse to admit that any consequences are because of your own mind’s interpretation or pure coincidence that you “count” (whereas you simply ignore or forget the other 1000 times you see the “sign" and nothing happens).

11. You think “The Secret” or “The Law of Attraction” works the way it’s explained in the book/film (and not due to the confirmation bias and psychological effects - see my video).

12. You think sugar causes kids to be hyper (“sugar rush") and refuse to consider new evidence that previous studies were imperfect and measured parental bias/expectation instead (sugar is still unhealthy).

13. You take homeopathic medicine and think it’s very different from placebo.

14. You DON’T think things like prayers, homeopathy, horoscopes, and supernatural beliefs can have actual measurable effects on human health and wellbeing, through psychological effects such as placebo.

15. You believe that even if the upbringing/cultural conditions are equal, females have inherently lower IQ than males, or the other way around (not counting some differences in verbal skills that are better in females and some spatial skills that are better in males).

16. You believe that even if the upbringing/cultural conditions are equal, people of some races have inherently lower IQ than others.

17. You think you have “free will” meaning your decisions are “free” from the laws of physics.

18. You believe in the soul.

19. You believe in past lives.

20. You believe there are “real“ psychics.

21. You believe that everything happens for a reason (and you don’t mean the laws of physics).

22. You believe the number 13 is unlucky (and the “bad luck” is not due to the psychological effects of your cultural conditioning).

23. You believe that the menstrual period in females is linked to the moon cycle.

24. You think evolution is “just a theory.”

25. You think one pound of feathers is lighter than one pound of iron.

26. You think there are no rational reasons to stop eating meat for a person who cares about health or environment or suffering of sentient beings (see my video).

27. You think that genetically modified plants are less healthy than non-GMO counterparts.

28. You believe something is true because someone had a vision or wrote about it in a big respected book.

29. You believe that organisms evolved “so that” they do better in their environment (and not as a result of a non-teleological, no-planning, mindless mechanism).

30. You believe something is true because there is a scientific article that says so.

31. You believe something is true because someone with a PhD or MD degree said so (subtract 2 points if degrees like BHMS (Bachelor of Homeopathic Medicine and Surgery) and D.Min. (Doctor of Energy Healing) do it for you as well).

32. You believe in ghosts.

33. You believe that megadoses of vitamin C have therapeutic effects.

34. You don’t believe that contemporary global warming is driven by human activities.

35. You believe that because of the overwhelming evidence of health benefits of yoga everything yogis believe is true (chakras, universal consciousness, etc).

36. You think that since herbal medicines are natural they cannot have adverse side-effects.

37. You believe that your thoughts when you are sitting next to a plant or a glass of water can alter the physical or chemical structure of the plant or water.

38. You think guessing correctly 6 lottery numbers out of 36 is easier (or harder) than 30 out of 36.

39. You believe that cold weather directly causes a cold (and not that colds are caused by viruses and cold weather indirectly increases the risk).

40. You think that if someone doesn’t believe in ghosts, gods, souls separate from bodies, etc, it’s their responsibility to prove their opinion (sorry, the burden of proof is on you).

41. You think you should call yourself agnostic and not an atheist because you have no proof that god doesn’t exist (if we were talking about unicorns or garden fairies, would you call yourself agnostic?).

42. You believe that the condensation trails left behind airplanes in the sky are “chemtrails" — evidence of a covert large-scale spraying operation with sinister intent. 

43. You think that using cotton swabs (aka Q-Tips) in the ear canal has medical benefits and poses no medical risks.

44. You believe that cathartic anger expression decreases anger.

45. You think it’s healthy to brush teeth right after eating (please rinse with water and wait at least 30 minutes before brushing, especially after acidic foods).

46. You believe in crystal healing (that it's better than placebo).

47. You think you have to drink at least 8 glasses of water a day to be healthy.

48. You think the updated US food pyramid is evidence-based (please talk to your cardiologist before consuming more of red meat).

49. You think that vegan and vegetarian diets cannot provide enough protein for adequate nutrition.

50. You think the right brain hemisphere is responsible for creativity and the left one for logic (and ignore, for example, that you find writers, poets and comedians to be creative whereas the Broca’s and Wernicke’s areas - the language centers - are usually located in the left hemisphere).

51. You are convinced MRI studies show how grey matter growth (neurogenesis) is caused by many interventions such as aerobic exercise, meditation training, etc (more likely the changes reflect myelination or vascular effects, given the millimeter-scale resolution).

52. You think if a scientific study shows a “statistically significant” difference between two groups, it means the difference is large (not necessarily, that would be the effect size).

53. You think that if you flip a fair coin six times and happen to get heads each time, it is more likely for the seventh flip to come up tails, i.e. that tails is “due.”

54. You believe that ordinary (non-GMO) tomatoes do not contain genes (up to 60% of Americans believe that).

55. You think that one-dimensional right-left model adequately describes the complexity of modern political issues and doesn't cause serious misunderstandings and confusion (see www.politicalcompass.org).

56. You think the way humans are is completely because of the genes (nature) or completely because of the environment (nurture) (and not the complex interplay of the two).

57. You believe in synchronicity.

58. You believe in numerology.

59. You think the Earth is flat.

60. You think cats have higher cognitive complexity than pigs (pigs have almost twice as many sensory-associative neurons as cats and possess higher cognitive capabilities; pigs also compare to or outperform dogs in some cognitive tasks).

61. You think one can predict your future by looking at your palms (and not because changes in the color, texture, etc. of your palms’ skin can point at metabolic issues, liver disease, etc.).

62. You think that a heavy ball dropped from the same height as a light ball will land sooner.

63. You think people with major depressive disorder (MDD) or other serious mental illnesses can simply "pull themselves together" or "snap out of it” by using their willpower alone.

64. You are convinced that universal basic income (UBI) makes people lazy.

65. You believe that corporal punishment of children leads to positive outcomes. 

66. You think that randomly showing people some numbers before they make a purchasing decision cannon influence that decision (anchoring bias).

67. You think that directly asking someone if they have suicidal thoughts is dangerous, implants the idea, and increases suicidal ideation and behavior. 

68. You think that the plural of “an anecdote” is “data” (no, it’s “anecdotes”).

69. You judge someone for taking the elevator to the second floor while you take it to the third floor ("silent judgment”). 

70. You think one can predict your future by looking at your palms (and not because changes in skin texture, color, and temperature, acting as a diagnostic tool for liver disease, cancer, heart, and metabolic issues. 

71. You are sure animal species cannot naturally change their biological sex (fish can!).

72. You think hypnosis is bogus and not an evidence-based therapeutic and research tool recognized by medical and scientific organizations.

73. You think that in the Monty Hall TV game show where you choose one of three doors (one hiding a car and two hiding goats), after picking one door and after the host opens a different door to reveal a goat and asks you if you want to switch doors, it doesn’t matter whether you switch or stay with the same door (always switch!).

74. You find excuses for your “bad” actions but refuse to give others the right to use a similar excuse.

75. You believe in angels.

76. You think you have to choose between being compassionate and being scientific (please read Dr. Robert Sapolsky and my novel “Just City”).

 
 

P.S. I wrote down this list in February 2026 but I’ve been “collecting" the items in my mind and feeling passionate about the topic almost all my life. I’m, of course, open to new evidence and updates. Please contact me with any comments.

 

P.P.S. On social media where I shared this test I wrote that those who get a score <50 get a free paperback copy of “Just City” from me :)