When the NBC 5 Web staff sifts through the statistics for our Web site, weÂ’re not surprised when a Top 10 list hits the top of the list. But why are people drawn to lists of the smartest people in Hollywood, top searches of 2007, or stars that observe Chanukah?

We asked Dr. Monica Basco, at the University of ArlingtonÂ’s Department of Psychology, to help us figure out the top 10 reasons why people like top 10 lists.

10: Lists Organize Items In A Social Way
When most people make a list, it’s to organize their life in a certain way, which, not surprising, is also why media like Entertainment Weekly, or even NBC 5, make lists. By making these lists for the public, however, media groups add a second function, determining some public opinion of a celebrity, hot toy or potential political candidate. For their readers, or viewers, lists like “The 100 Greatest Movies Of All Time” can effect whether “Citizen Kane” is the next rental from the video store, simply because it made the No. 1 spot on the list.

9: Lists Allow “Love It Or Leave It” Decisions
Halfway through the “Famous Selling Faces” list, viewers may notice they don’t agree with each choice. “Disagreements are just ignored,” says Basco. “People remember the items that apply and just leave the ones they disagree with behind.”

8: Lists Give Guidelines
You’ll know exactly how long this article is, since there are 10 reasons on the top 10 list. Plus, top 10 lists are given specific subjects like “Top Music Moneymakers,” which provides the audience a firm guideline for what they’ll be reading. Another benefit is the numbering of lists allows readers to know that by point eight on the list, they’ve still got seven more points before the list is finished.

7: Lists Inspire Discovery Of Other Listed Items
Fans of cinematic sounds might enjoy a list of the “Greatest Movie Soundtracks” more than the average viewer, but even trend spotting fans of “Trainspotting” might be surprised to find what is on the rest of the list. Lists encourage discovery of some of the other listed items for the next time viewers are in the position to check out a most read book, greatest film or even best movie soundtrack.

6: Lists Provide Topics For Discussion
Each time the American Film Institute puts out a list, this is one of the primary reasons they provide to audiences for creating lists. Lists can often create discussion about their content, especially when it involves naming Dallas as one of "America’s Sweatiest Cities". With the Internet, comments fields are often filled with agreements – or disagreements – about the list, even within minutes of posting.

5: Lists Provide Arbitrary Ranks
For better or worst, lists organize items into a hierarchy. It’s generally assumed the No. 1 item is the most important and the No. 10 is least, though, like this point makes clear, the ranking is clearly arbitrary. Many lists like the “Top Entertainers of 2007” are only slightly different from the previous year, based on a series of arbitrary guidelines. While some lists base their data off hard facts, like financial data, it’s rare that the “Top Female Moneymakers In Hollywood” list is more important that People’s famous “Sexiest People” list in career making, or even social context.

4: Lists Give The Impression Of A Survey
Although the “Top 15 Ghost Photos” sounds like something people may have voted for, the list was only cobbled together by editors. “Lists give the audience the impression of a survey, even when it’s not,” Basco explains. Though they’re not designed to fool an audience, many people naturally assume that the decisions on the list were at least influenced by more than a small group sitting in a room.

3: Lists Give The Impression Of Credibility
“Top” lists, in theory, should be the best of whatever items that are collected together, selected by someone who knows what they are discussing. But often, that’s not the case, especially on the Internet. Magazines, television stations and their Internet entities – including NBC5i.com – gather their information from a source that does, in fact, know what their talking about, like Forbes’ “Riches Rappers List.” That’s not always the case on other sites, however, though the impression is the same. Basco agrees, “They give the impression of credibility, though they might be just thrown together.”

2: Lists Provide Commonality
If the “Top Stars 25 & Under” is a well-constructed list, it will be able to provide, like most “top” lists, a sense of commonality between the items on the list and the reasons they should be there. When an item simply doesn’t fit, either with the other objects on the list, or with most readers’ opinions, the list is void. Adding a factual error like having George Clooney on the aforementioned list is only one way to make this mistake, as half of the battle of making a public “top” list is having information that seems to fit with the common reader opinion.

1: Lists Require Little Effort On The Reader
The No. 1 reason lists are so liked by readers is simply because they are so simple. “They are quick and easy to read and take little effort from the readers,” Basco said. “They bring together lots of information into one source.” As the Cliff’s Notes of information, lists allow people to sift through information in a completely different way – by bullet point. These “sound bytes” can be easily digested by audiences and then used at their discretion.

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