Factor analysis

Factor analysis is a statistical method that helps us figure out which aspects, or "factors," of something might be related. For example, let's say we want to figure out which things make people happy. We can ask people questions about things like how much time they spend with their friends, how much money they earn, how healthy they eat, and how often they exercise. Factor analysis would look at all of these questions and try to figure out which ones are related. It would look for patterns and group the questions that are related together. So, if it found that the people who spend a lot of time with their friends, earn more money, and eat healthy foods are the happiest, it would group those questions together.