15 PSYCHOLOGICAL FACTS

DUNNING KRUGER EFFECT

In 1999 two social psychologists discovered something about intelligent Peoples. They rarely think they're smart. In fact, they often rank themselves way below average. On the other hand, Peoples with low intelligence do the exact opposite. They almost always overestimate their rank by a long shot. The people with low intelligence often rate themselves so highly, they don't understand how little they know. Just look at the man who inspired Dunning and Kruger's original experiment. He decided to put lemon juice on his face In order to rob Banks, since lemon juice is used to make invisible ink. He believed he was completely invisible to the bank's cameras. Of course, that wasn't true. He just had high expectations and no knowledge. So he thought of himself as a genius.

 REMEMBER WHAT YOU REMEMBERED

What's your earliest memory? You might remember playing with your parents in the park, or one of your first birthdays. But can you actually remember that far back? Neuroscientists recently discovered that your memory works a lot differently than most people think. When you think back to that early memory, your mind isn't jumping back in time. It's remembering the last time you remembered. In other words, your memory is like playing telephone. Every time you remember something, it changes a bit more. Eventually, you won't be able to tell what actually happened and what you added along the way.

 MUSIC CHANGES PERCEPTION

 A 2011 study looked at whether music could affect the way you perceive your environment. Subjects were asked to identify happy and sad faces while different songs played. Turns out people struggled to recognize happy faces during sad songs, and vice versa. The music was making them see things that weren't there. It created something called a perceptual expectation. When you hear one thing through your ears, your brain will expect to see something similar through your eyes. This is one user can improve a workout or help after a breakup. It sets the tone by creating that perceptual Expectation.

  FOREIGN LANGUAGE LOGIC

 A study from the University of Chicago found that people make more logical choices when using a second language. Our reasoning skills are divided into two parts. One is systematic and logical, or the other is unconscious and emotional. When you use your first language, you let that emotional side take over your biases and reactions, cloud your judgment. When you use a less natural language, that rational side steps in, you're forced to put more thought into what you say next time.

 SINGING REDUCES ANXIETY

  Singing in the car or shower is a great way to fend off anxiety and depression. Let's say you're driving into work, you're about to give the most important presentation of your life. Naturally, you're a nervous wreck. So, how can you keep yourself calm? Turn on your favorite song and sing as loud as you can. It sounds ridiculous, but singing floods your brain with endorphins and oxytocin. Both of them relieve stress and improve your mood. They make you feel comfortable while keeping your heart rate and cortisol levels low. 

 REJECTION HURTS

 Imagine you meet a new friend over the weekend. But when you ask them to hang out a few days later, they blow you off. What does that feel like? To your brain, you might as well have been punched in the face. That's because our brains process emotional and physical pain the same way. Both kinds of pain, release the same chemicals and activate the same areas. 

 CANONICAL PERSPECTIVE

  In the 1980s, Psychologist discovered that we remember almost all objects from the canonical perspective? That means we see things from the side and slightly above? If you don't believe me, try and draw a cup. Did you draw one circle as though you were looking down on it? Or did you draw it from the side and add an angle so, you could just barely see inside? Well, there are a few individual exceptions. You unconsciously see most objects from the exact same vantage point.

 EVOLVING ANXIETY

 About 15 years ago, a study found that the average high school student was as anxious as the average psychiatric patient in the 1950s. Over the last few decades, mental health conditions like anxiety and mood disorders had become increasingly common. In fact, they're treated as a normal thing. If that study were conducted today, I'm sure the numbers would be through the roof.

 THE NEGATIVITY GENE

  A 2013 study found that some people are genetically predisposed to negative thoughts. This means you automatically react with stronger negative emotions. In that study, researchers have looked at how people with this gene reacted to various images. While most people enjoy pictures of waterfalls and beaches, people with the negativity gene found them dangerous and alarming. When shown a picture of a crowded room, they honed in on angry or sad faces. 

 HEALTHY SARCASM

 Being sarcastic can actually improve the health of your brain. While sarcasm can be insulting. It's one of the most common signs of intelligence. Sarcastic people tend to be quick, witty and creative. Their sarcasm may make them unlikable, but they excel thinking outside the box. Biologically sarcastic comments require quite a bit of brain function. You have to instantly understand tone, meaning and perspective and spin them in a way that makes something funny. This is why sarcastic people are so good at understanding abstract concepts and solving complex problems.

 THE POWER OF SUNLIGHT

The power of sunlight. Have you ever noticed you feel down when you've been inside all day, but when you walk outside, your mood instantly changes? Sunlight isn't just good for your bones, it can actually prevent mood disorders like depression. The vitamin D you get from the sun acts as a mood stabilizer and releases pleasurable hormones in your brain. This is why people in countries with less sunlight are more likely to be depressed. All you need is 10 minutes of direct sunlight to literally and figuratively brighten up your world. 

 DOPAMINE ADDICTION

 A recent study found that texting and social media trigger the release of dopamine in your brain. Dopamine is commonly associated with pleasure. But that isn't why you can't put your phone down. Dopamine plays another important role. It controls desire. It tells you when you want something and compels you to get it. This is what pushes you to keep talking, clicking or scrolling. Each time you do. Dopamine sends more pleasure signals to the brain. It's a dangerous cycle because the longer you let it go on, the harder it will be.

 THE OVERSLEEP ER'S PARADOX

 The over sleeper's paradox after sleeping for 10 or 11 hours, how do you feel? You gave your brain plenty of time to relax and detoxify, yet somehow you feel tired, almost like you didn't sleep enough. Sleeping too much is just as detrimental as not sleeping enough. It will leave you feeling foggy and fatigued because it throws off your biological clock. Imagine you're trying to do a flip. If you don't flip enough, you fall. But when you flip too much, the same thing happens. You have to hit it just right. Sleeping works the same way. The only way to avoid feeling tired is to sleep a perfect amount.

 READING FASTER

 Have you ever wondered why newspapers use such thing columns? Years ago, publishers figured out that people liked shorter lines. People were more likely to keep reading, so newspapers kept their lines between 30 and 50 characters. Since we liked short lines better, doesn't we read them faster too. Psychologists recently discovered the opposite. Short lines make us read slower. 100 characters is actually the ideal line length, even though it's double or triple what most newspapers and magazines uses number 50.

 MOOD SICKNESS

 Being in a bad mood isn't just hard on your brain, it can significantly impact your physical health. Our bodies and brains are inexplicably tied together. When one suffers, the other does too. So when you're feeling unhappy, you might have aches, inflammation and lower immune function. So if you can try to find ways to improve your mental state every single day, happiness is a big part of being healthy.