I love this Spurious Correlations site. And you are correct - a correlation can be a first-filter, especially if you have some reason to believe that there woul

I love this Spurious Correlations site. And you are correct - a correlation can be a first-filter, especially if you have some reason to believe that there would be a causative connection. And though "correlation does not equal causation" is a cliche, it is still so easy to get sucked into equating the two. Part of the human brain's desire to make sense of things.