Viral hit Gangnam Style outranked The Voice to become Australia’s top trending search in 2012, Google’s annual Zeitgeist revealed.

More surprisingly though, questions like ‘how to love’ and ‘how to change’ topped the list of personal queries, followed by ‘how to bulk’ and ‘how to hypnotize’.

Aussies also wondered what ‘permeate’ means and ‘what is YOLO?’ (You only live once).

The ‘cultural barometer’, which follows the year’s top trends, showed Australians were keen to know more about Julian Assange, the term ‘misogynist’ and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee and also wanted to know about natural disasters, like Hurricane Sandy, the Melbourne earthquake and ‘cruise ship sinking’.

When it came to personalities, Lara Bingle edged out Miranda Kerr to become the country’s most search person, while Whitney Houston’s death marginally outstripped Kate Middleton to take the top international spot.