Psychology; the study of the human mind and why it works the way it does, in itself, is an amazing field of research. Studying Psychology enables us to unlock one mystery at a time as we evolve into a rapidly dynamic world of technology.
Certain scientific breakthroughs in the recent years has allowed us to make predictions about behavioural patterns and traits, test the patterns and we are then able to make a hypothesis out of the situation. Whether you are a high school student interested in pursuing psychology as a career option, or just a hardcore fan of the human mysteries that resides in our brain, it is difficult to curb our hunger in the domain of psychology.
Here are 15 most interesting psychological facts that really blew my mind!
Fact 1: Laughing at a joke needs activity in five different areas of the brain at the same time!
Yes, it is true. In order to produce laughter, it requires the use of 5 different areas in the brain simultaneously! Fake laughs not included, though.
Fact 2: Almost twice as many serial killers are born during the month of November alone!
As a November baby myself, I believe I can attest to this. This month produces serial killers akin to the likes of Ted Bundy, Charles Starkweather and Kristen Gilbert. Some suggests the month of November is colder and darker than other months while some went as far as to judge the act of conceiving a baby on Valentines Day. Regardless, #TeamScorpio, anyone?
Fact 3: When crying from happiness, the first tear will come from the right eye, while in sadness, it will fall from the left!
Now, genuinely I’m interested in this fact. I might even have to experiment this to prove the truth out of the fiction.
Fact 4: Men are not as funny as women; they just make more jokes, regardless of whether others like their humour or not!
Stick this fact to your boyfriend the next time he claims he’s funnier than you.
Fact 5: You just can’t multi-task!
We can all defend ourselves, especially those who drive and maintain serious conversations in the car at the same time. However, it is proven that you lose focus when attempting more than 1 primary activity, which gives way to multi-task but it won’t necessarily be with a 100% focus.
Fact 6: Your most vivid memories are wrong!
Our brains like to remember imaginary dreams more vividly than actual real-life events. This tricks you into perceiving your best dreams as “reality” when most of the times, is just your over-active imagination.
Fact 7: The type of music you listen to affects the way you perceive the world.
Judgement aside, I believe everyone needs a little Rock ‘n’ roll to get you through the bad times.
Fact 8: 68% of people suffer from the Phantom Vibration Syndrome.
The Phantom Vibration Syndrome occurs due to the feeling that one’s phone is vibrating when it actually isn’t. Now, 68% is a fairly large chunks of population scattered throughout the world and this just goes a long way in showing that we attach ourselves emotionally to our phones.
Fact 9: The busier you are, the happier you tend to be!
When we are busy with pressing responsibilities, we tend not to indulge in negative, depressing thoughts as we do not have the time to do so. So, the next time you get a mountain load of responsibilities, remember the silver lining behind the long hours!
Fact 10: Romantic love is biochemically indistinguishable from having a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.
When we love, we love hard and deep. This may be very similar to obsessing about someone!
Fact 11: When you tell your goals to others, you’re less likely to succeed in them.
This is especially so because not everyone is a well-wisher, and particularly if you divulge in early and sensitive information, there will be many who judges and badmouths your intentions. Work hard and lead a quiet life, that is the recipe for success.
Fact 12: A broken heart can lead to death.
As bizarre as this might sound, a broken heart or medically known as Stress Cardiomyopathy is possible to lead a person to death. The pain from rejection and unacceptance from the person you deeply love causes stress which leads to depression, a common mental condition that affects many of the world’s population.
Fact 13: It only takes 4 minutes to fall in love!
Psychologically proven, it’s definitely not impossible and many people have attested to this. Although whether it takes 4 minutes to fall in love or just a mere attraction, lust or a crush–we might not know.
Fact 14: Dopamine makes us addicted to seeking information endlessly.
Do you ever find yourself being addicted to finding information from various apps and emails, unable to tear your eyes away from the screen? How many times have we gone online to our emails and subconsciously an hour later we end up in Instagram, scrolling our news feed for the latest post?
You may have heard about dopamine as this drug that enables us to feel ‘enjoyment’ or ‘pleasure’ such as food, sex and drugs. However, Dopamine doesn’t just cause us to feel pleasure, it causes us to want, seek and explore new ideas and addictions. One of it being our need to constantly find information on our phones.
Fact 15: We can’t resist paying attention to food, sex or danger.
Have you ever driven in your car past an accident site? Was there a time when you could avoid glancing at the accident site, no matter how gruesome it can be? Well, it’s not really your fault, it is almost impossible for us to resist paying attention to food, sex or danger. All three are necessities of survival. “Can I eat that?”, “Can I have sex with it?”, “Will it kill me?” are all common questions that we humans are generally curious about.
Conclusion
It is always important to look into your soul and pay attention to what choices you have to make in order to live a blessed, happy and grateful life. You might be surprised by the positive changes it’ll make.