Oh, the things we tell Google. As a basis for storytelling, this willingness to share information to get information, including disclosing an otherwise unacknowledged fact to a search engine, points to an audience eager to share information. That sharing can be the basis of extensive personalization of stories, gathering feedback, and social campaigns. But it requires brands to share more information than they are used to or comfortable with in many cases.

The word “gay” is 10% more likely to complete searches that begin “Is my husband…” than the second-place word, “cheating”. It is eight times more common than “an alcoholic” and 10 times more common than “depressed”.

Most tellingly perhaps, searches questioning a husband’s sexuality are far more prevalent in the least tolerant regions. The states with the highest percentage of women asking this question are South Carolina and Louisiana. In fact, in 21 of the 25 states where this question is most frequently asked, support for gay marriage is lower than the national average.

Source: Everybody lies: how Google search reveals our darkest secrets