Yes, Jenga.Jenga - as in that game you used to play as a kid. You know, the one where you remove a block and put it on top, and hope that the beads of sweat dripping off of your brow don't hit the brick tower in the wrong place and cause it to make like London Bridge and all fall down.
Now mind you, this is a completely untested theory. I have absolutely no data to back it up; I only have my observations of my friends playing.*** Most of the time inebriated. Which of course makes the study absolutely valid. But it is what it is, and if this turns out to be true, I just want the NIH to know that I was the first person to write a case study. FIRST PERSON. Please give me grant money to help me pay off my sky-rocketing debt, and I promise I will test my hypotheses in a beautiful double-blind and placebo-controlled case study.
So, onto the predictions:
Internal Medicine - This person tests almost every single block to see which one is the loosest and will therefore be the best block to remove. However, even after finding such a block, this person will continue to tap on neighboring blocks, because he is thorough and doesn't want to miss anything. On opponents' turns, they will play nice and let them know which blocks they thought were loose at the time. Jenga is a team sport, people. Let's all use our knowledge to build the largest tower we can. Only together can we be successful. Best thing is, when they finally choose which brick to remove, they're often right, and it slides out like butter. And they are meticulous when placing the brick on top, knowing that that brick can play a big role in 3-4 more turns.
Psychiatry - This person spends a lot of time looking at the tower. They don't touch anything, they don't move. They just sit there and observe. Then after what seems like a million years to the surgically-inclined Jenga player (see below), they figure out where the tower's center of mass is, what they believe is the best course of action, and then - and only then - pick a brick and start to move it. Of course, if they feel as though the block doesn't want to move, they will try nudging it a little, but if they still meet resistance, they will patiently move the block back in place and try a different approach.
Pediatrics - This person doesn't really understand the game and just wants to watch the tower fall over and make great big "BOOM BOOM BOOM" sounds.
Surgery - This person knows exactly which block they want. And they go after it. Even if it doesn't seem like the best block to remove, they are determined to force it out. All that matters is the end result. Also, once the block is removed, they toss it on top carelessly - like a tumor into the metal bin. It is of no importance anymore to them. Side note: Those interested in neurosurgery seem to go after the most difficult block to move - typically at the bottom (see above picture). They also don't move around the table to find an easier position to remove the block from. I mean, come on - if they're gonna perform brain surgery in the future, removing tumors from seemingly impossible brain cavities, they need to know how to remove a simple Jenga block with their left hand bent 180 degrees backwards.
Radiology - Are you serious? This person doesn't ever leave their computer, much less the four walls of their room, and you honestly think they would come out into the light of day to play a trivial board game? Come on!
***Hi friends who put up with me and let me play board games with them, even though I'm totally the one who always makes the Jenga tower fall over, because hello - future pediatrician here. This post is totally facetious and trivial, so please don't get all weirded out the next time we play Jenga. I swear I'm not judging.
