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Fireworks scare us—that’s why we love them
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What makes fireworks so appealing
The reason we like fireworks so much: they scare us.
- Like lightning, the bright flashes warn us something is about to happen. This activates the amygdala, a little ball of nerves in the brain that detects fear.
- After the lights have stimulated the anticipation of a threat, the resounding crack of the firework confirms this perception in our brains. In response, our reward centers release a surge of dopamine (the feel-good neurotransmitter).
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Fireworks-induced fear is controlled
After seeing these light-up shows over and over again, our brains anticipate the bang that comes after the flashes of light. That's unlike a thunderstorm in which we know thunder follows lightning, but when or how loud the next boom will be is out of our control.
This also explains why these celebratory pyrotechnics often terrify dogs. While we know a sound is coming after the firework takes flight, dogs are caught off guard by the sudden, loud noise.
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Fireworks and the novelty effect
Fireworks might be especially mesmerizing to us because of their novelty.
As we watch these magnificent pyrotechnic stars explode, we’re exposed to injections of color we don’t normally see.
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SIMILAR ARTICLES & IDEAS:
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The northern lights, or aurora borealis
The magnetic fields of the sun distort and twist as the Earth rotates on its axis. When these fields become knotted together, they create sunspots. Usually, these sunspots occur in pairs.
A...
Auroras on other worlds
Auroras also occur on planets such as Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune. These gas giants have thick atmospheres and strong magnetic fields. These auroras are a little different from Earth's as they are formed under different conditions.
Venus has an aurora generated by its magnetotail. Mars experiences local auroras due to magnetic fields in the crust. There are also northern hemisphere auroras caused by particles hitting the Maritan atmosphere.
Cycles and particles
Northern lights occur roughly every eleven years. Record-keeping of the sun's activity began in 1749. Since then, there have been 22 full cycles.
Particles ejected from the sun travel 93 million miles toward Earth before they are drawn toward the magnetic north and south poles. As the particles move through the Earth's magnetic shield, they mix with the oxygen, nitrogen, and other elements that result in the display of lights.
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Mindful Communication
Bringing awareness, or mindfulness, to the way we communicate with others has both practical and profound applications.
We can train ourselves to:
- recognize when the channel...
Label How You Feel
Each of us already has this natural communication system that feeds us information all the time. So when we close down and become defensive—for a few minutes, a few days, months or even a lifetime—we’re cutting ourselves off not only from others, but also from our natural ability to communicate.
Mindful communication trains us to become aware of when we’ve stopped using our innate communication wisdom.
Defensive Reactions Zone
When we react to fear by shutting down the channel of communication, we’ve put up a defensive barrier that divides us from the world.
Signs you’re in the red light zone:
- Our values shift to me-first. We tell ourselves that relationships are not that important.
- Closed communication patterns are controlling and mistrustful. We see others as frozen objects that have importance only if they meet our needs.
- We feel alone and emotionally hungry. Then we look to other people to rescue us from our aloneness.
- The sense of isolation that our defensive barrier triggers is subconsciously terrifying. If we are indeed isolated individuals, how do we get our supplies? How do we ward off enemies?
- Suppressing these inner fears makes us even more rigid and out of touch. We tighten our muscles and thoughts; we harden our hearts.
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Buyer psychology
Many people think they will make what their customers want. But, your customers will keep on surprising you.
Understanding what goes on inside your customer's mind can align your product to t...
Understanding a customer
A customer is a persona or a demand pattern in multiple people.
- A demand pattern is a private want that's gone from private to public.
- A want is the desire to address a lack of something you need or wish for.
People buy because they want to decrease their pain-levels or increase their pleasure-levels.