We show that if ${\mathcal A},{\mathcal B},{\mathcal C}$ are increasing subsets of $Ω:=\{0,1\}^n$ with ${\mathcal A}\neq\emptyset$, then with respect to any product probability measure on $Ω$, \[ \mbox{if each of the pairs $\{{\mathcal A}\cap{\mathcal B},{\mathcal C}\}$, $\{{\mathcal A}\cap {\mathcal C},{\mathcal A}\}$ is independent, then ${\mathcal B}$ and ${\mathcal C}$ are independent.} \] This implies an answer to a motivating question of J. Steif, and is related to a basic, still open variant of that question, and to a well-known conjecture of S. Sahi.