Just as you can broadly divide academic subjects into arts and sciences, in Japan people are often referred to as being “science-type” or “art-type,” with the first describing someone who holds everything up to the light of logic, and the latter for someone who applies more romantic standards.
Recently, Japanese Twitter users have been sharing their theories on the way this difference in fundamental mentality can affect a person’s attitude and feelings about such a wide range of topics such as not being too busy to see their dating partners, what happens when snow melts, or even their reactions to famous anime movie lines.
Let’s start with a simple litmus test. When snow melts, what do you have?
If you answered “water,” then you’re likely a science-type. On the other hand, if you replied “spring,” there’s a good chance you’re an art-type.
▼ And if you said, “A long-awaited release from the dark, soul-crushing grip of winter, you probably grew up in Southern California.
Here’s another simple check: what does 3.14 mean to you? For many romantics in Japan, White Day, the celebration on March 14 where guys give thank you gifts to the girls who gave them Valentine’s Day chocolate, springs to mind.
Of course, a less passionate way of looking at 3.14 is as a numerical value with a decimal point, in which case it becomes pi.
Should your girlfriend spring this question on you, and you’re not sure whether she’s an art or science-type, we recommended covering all bases by getting her something like this.
It’s often said that the sense of smell has greater evocative powers than many people consciously realize, so with their different reference pool of subjects running through their minds, it’s only natural that once again the science and art-minded should have divergent reactions, to what the latter would say is the unmistakable scent of melon, laced with a hint of tartness.
To a science head, though, this smell doesn’t belong to a prized summer fruit so much as the acid-derived solvent isobutyl acetate.
▼ Delicious…?
Pop culture is also processed by the two groups in different ways. In looking at the lyrics to idol supergroup AKB48’s smash hit “Heavy Rotation,” art-types might be amused by the clever wordplay in the opening line of “1! 2! 1! 2! 3! 4!” Multiply those energetically called out numerals, and you get 1 X 2 X 1 X 2 X 3 X 4=48, or the number of vocalists in the group.
The more mathematically-minded pop music fan, though, looks at the way those lyrics are written and doesn’t see shouting, but mathematic notation. For everyone who slept through high school math, “2!” is the equivalent of 2 X 1, “3!” of 3 X 2 X 1, and “4!” of 4 X 3 X 2 X 1. Science types aren’t impressed by a subtle reference to the band’s name, they’re confused as to why the song starts with a series of calculations that produces the number 576, apropos of nothing.
For males of both mentalities, though, these observations come well after they notice the “Heavy Rotation” video features dozens of girls in their underwear.
The works of anime director Hayao Miyazaki have almost universal appeal, so it’s a safe bet that individuals from both groups have watched a fair share of his films, including Porco Rosso. The feature’s most famous line comes when main character Porco, an aviator who’s been transformed into a pig, laments, “A pig that can’t fly is just a pig.”
As the movie’s hero, it’s predictable that both camps would feel the desire to cheer Porco up, but in different ways. Art-types might try to console him with, “Everyone has value in their own unique way,” science-types wouldn’t see Porco’s statement as anything to get worked up about in the first place, since “Flying pigs don’t exist.”
We wouldn’t say either, since frankly, we just can’t muster any real sympathy for someone who wears a suit that well.
But regardless of how your mind works, someday you’ll meet that special someone who stirs your heart. When it comes to expressing their deepest affections, it seems like art-types would have a clear advantage, but there are hidden depths to the language of love employed by science-types.
For example, a science-minded guy might tell his girlfriend, “I want to see you as many times this month as you can count on one hand.” At first glance, this doesn’t exactly seem like a line that’s going to sweep any girl off her feet. As many times as you can count on one hand? As in five? That’s just a little more than once a week, or pretty much what most would consider the bare minimum of time together for a serious couple.
Except, the figures work out totally different if you’re using base-2 binary notation, for which the five fingers on one hand could be used to express the number 31, indicating a lot more desired time together.
▼ your guy says this to you in February, he’s essentially saying his love for you won’t be bound by the petty constraints of things like time.
Of course, this line isn’t quite as smooth if your beloved isn’t quite as well versed in higher math as you are. Still, if your girlfriend is upset at you for never telling her how you feel, at the very least, whispering some sweet nothings in binary should at least confuse her enough to give you some time to think of something more obviously poetic to say.
Source: Curazy
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