10 Reasons Top Ten Lists Are So Popular

1 Lists are easy to read.

Reading things isn't like watching a video, it takes actual effort.  So when an average person looks at an article with so many words, and sentences, and paragraphs, they're first thought is often to click on something else because this seems like too much work.  Maybe if there are pictures it might be worth reading, but- no wait- these pictures aren't interesting-let's read something else.

2 It's easier to skip ahead if you get bored.

If you're reading an article that hooked you in with the initial title but got bored reading through all this other stuff you don't care about, lists make an easy way for you to skip to the next thing so you don't have to keep reading that stupid thing that you don't- and you've already skipped this to read the next thing, haven't you?

3 Lists make you feel like you accomplished something

Humans are constantly searching for reinforcement for their actions, because when you break it down we are animals living out our lives based on how we are being rewarded and punished, and even though that may seem like a gross simplification, every item on a list that you read is small reward to the brain, saying "Good for you, you finished something." Reading a book may have a bigger reward to your brain, but it takes more effort, and it takes a lot longer for that pay off from the time to you start the task to the time you finish it.  We're constantly searching for the easy way out, not because we're lazy animals, but because like water- our behavior is about going the easier route.

4 Lists are generally easy to write

Writing an article that has a clear thesis and conveys this in a meaningful way to the audience is hard.  We don't like hard things, so why not write a list?  People like lists.  Pick any subject that you feel like writing about and make up a list that applies to it. Top 10 reasons this new show is the worst. 10 things that you don't know about this subject. 10 ways you are going to die from this new diet fad.  Write a couple reasons that inspired you to write the article in the first place, and then bullshit for 4-10.  Make sure you move the most convincing to last.  Ta-da! You're a real writer!

5 They instantly convey an opinion

One of the reasons lists are so useful, especially top 10 lists, is that they instantly convey to the audience an opinion on a subject without having to say all that much.  If you put an item on your top 10 worst songs ever, I don't really need to read the whole paragraph you wrote to know that you you don't like that song.  It's on the list so I already know how you feel about it. Writing is ultimately about communication and the faster the communication the better, right?  Am I right? I don't actually know.  I'm not an English Major.

6 Organization makes brains happy

Speaking of things I have no expertise and have done no research to back myself up in, people crave organization in their lives.  Life is messy, and from the beginning people have tried to organize and categorize the world around them.  A lot of what you were taught in school are these systems of classification. Sciences attempt to classify everything from life to rocks to stars, artists attempt to classify genre, what age something is. Is this modern or post-modern? Even religions get particular about the hierarchy of their greater powers and who goes where and what makes you a bad person and what makes you a good person.

7 Lists go with pictures, like PB&J

People like reading things on the internet that has pictures.  Or I should say, people used to like reading things on the internet with pictures as I think most people just watch Youtube vlogs instead, because who has the time to read?  If you want your article to get any interest, you obviously need pictures, and nowadays a video wouldn't hurt.  How am I supposed to know that I care about what you're writing about if there isn't a picture depicting what you're writing about?

8 You know what kind of commitment you're getting into

People have always been scared by commitment, and in this age where attention spans are decreasing and the art of distraction is being perfected every day, we often find ourselves wondering if what you're about to read is worth the time it will take to read.  Ever clicked on an article, saw a wall of text and decided that "This ain't worth it?" Yeah, me too.  That Top 10 Best Moments in your favorite show, you know what you're getting into.  You're not going to have to read paragraph after paragraph to get to the author's point because they didn't want to write an essay the way they were taught in school where you always need to put your thesis in the opening paragraph because we're not in school anymore goddamnit and I can write the way I want to and I don't care if people aren't going to understand it because it isn't for other people- I can write what want to you and you can't stop me, Mother!

9 You can pack in a ton of Search Terms!

You want people to read your article but wouldn't it be great if you could get more people to read your article?

Honestly I've run out of steam on this.  I'll just leave this here.

10 They have natural conclusions.