The appeal of the number 3 versus pairs

Why is it some people like things to be grouped in odd numbers and others like the symmetry of even numbers?

I personally am an odd numbers fan. If I put pictures together on the mantelpiece I will group them in 3's or 5's. If I discribe something I nearly always either use one or 3 adjectives. I will hardly ever use 2. I prefer things to be balanced but asymmetrical rather than symmetrical.

I know plenty of people that prefer things to be 2 by 2. They find my grouping in 3's annoying.

Why are some people odds and some people evens? Does it have something to do with a scientific v artistic mind maybe? Is it just a learned habit from your parents/gardians? Left handers v right handers?

Looking around my room, I've grouped things in 2s, 3s, 4s, 5s and 6s. I think it's just random placement on my part. What I do like is creating checkerboard effects, so if I have 6 pictures, and 3 of them are predominantly blue and 3 are predominantly white (for example) then I'll put them in 2 rows of 3 alternating blue with white. It's just a little peccadillo of mine though, I'm not so bothered about the numbers.

But then, I'm ambidexterous

I'm an odd number kind of person as well. The tattoos I'm getting (fox paw prints) are going in 7 groups of 3. I like to keep an odd number of piercings total, although they sometimes go in even numbers. I decorate by odd numbers too - 1 big thing with 3 small things in front of it, 3 groups of 3 pictures and 1 odd picture. 1 or 3 candles at a time. I don't know why but I just hate even numbers. Every other birthday disappoints me.

The Celts actually believed that odd numbers were balanced - an even number of things balanced by a middle link.

I'm right handed and more scientifically minded.

I like things in either 2's or threes myself. Some things I like to be nice and symmetrycal, other things I like in threes because I think for those 2 isnt enough, three isa nice number while 4 is too much.

I dont think I could say what thing I prefere in 2's or 3's ahead of time, it all depends on how I see them at the time. Good question tho skully!

...

I don't group objects... but I'm going to look around now, see if I can find anybody who does.

Do you like odd groups of people too. Like talk to one or with two, meaning totals of 2 or three.

Interesting observation kully

I like 3-somes

But honestly I do not have a preference, but prefer to memorize (phone)numbers in pairs of three...

Besides: Three is the necessary number with which you can place an object in space... it's the devine/ perfect number, as it has a beginning, a middle and an end, can't be divided but by one and itself... also: if you do one thing, it might be a mistake, the second time to verify - but the third time definately counts... There's more to number three, but I can't remember right now.

Really I haven't quite thought about the attributes of odd and even - preferences.... Good question skully

We were always tought in english GCSE to describe things with 3 adjective. Rules of 3 etc..
But as far as aesthetics go, I like everything symetrical. Note all my piercings. If theres one on one side theres one on the other, all apart from my nose.
I just like things liek that

it sounds like a type of ocd to me

i dont group things had a look around my flat and no nothing is grouped im a clutter fan


they do say a majority of people show slight ocd behaviour such as grouping things or saying certain things at certain times ect

mine for that is walking on only 2 drain covers in a row and avoiding a third as 2 for good luck 3 for bad silly i know

maiden mother crone.

3 is the minimum you need to create a 2-dimensional shape.

pairings are as important as triplings, however.

everything has its opposite, its balance... (everything is yin to (something else that is) yang, and everything has yin and yang aspects within it)...

im drawn to both..! aargh! (is that balanced, then? ahem)

2,3,5.

good old fibonacci.

i prefer odd numbers. Then, when evenly distributed, you have one thing in the middle, as opposed to having a gap in the middle, which vaguely annoys me.

yer but ocd is wildly misunderstood and i can see it not being such a harsh name soon

ive watched programs that have said a majority of people tend to do somethings all the time and not realise and it is a very mild form similar to ocd but not where there obsessed about it just do it without realising and it is one of the studys where they say the obsession can come from when someone has a lot of stress in there life or something go wrong

I tend to list adjectives in threes, but only when I write. It's thorough, rhythmic, and psychologically satisfying. See?

I like 3 and its multiples, I think they're lucky for me. Mainly because if you look at my birthday in this format:

27/3/81

They are all mutliples of 3

and also

27 X 3 = 81

I like these numbers

I hate odds.

2, 4, 8, 64.

I don't even like 6. It's too close to odd.

Evens all the way.

I think it's a spacial visual thing.

Though if you're talking about relationships, I know some Burningman folk who would be into 3s, 4s or 5s.

But not me. My other half arrives Friday.

I am definately an odd person

I have always liked 3

3x3=9

3,6,9

Ok so thats even.

but yes, I always group in odds.

I'm an art student by the way, I'm right handed but dyslexic - definately a visual thinker.

in music I hate a 4/4 beat I gotta have something else going on, at college we've been writing a tune with two overlapping time signatures (on different instruments), sounds quite disjointed cause it's 4/4 & 3/4 so it only meets up properly every 4 bars (of 3/4, or 3 of 4/4), but a 3 or 5 beat in an unnatural environment is often lovely.