26. Our short-term memory lasts less than half a minute - Deepstash
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26. Our short-term memory lasts less than half a minute

26. Our short-term memory lasts less than half a minute

In a classic cognitive psychology study participants, who had to remember 3 letter strings, could recall 80% of them after 3 seconds but, after 18 seconds they could only remember 10%.

This effect has been reliably replicated since that, suggesting that you might have already forgotten some of the facts you have read above.

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1.52K reads

MORE IDEAS ON THIS

42. Who we find hot depends on our own attractiveness

42. Who we find hot depends on our own attractiveness

An analysis of a dating website has found that people prefer to date others with similar levels of attractiveness.

This effect is more prevalent in women. Compared to them, men seem to co...

448

1.52K reads

5. Some emotions are universal

5. Some emotions are universal

No matter where you are in the world, people will recognise if you make a sad, happy, disgusted, fearful, surprised or angry face.

Due to this, these emotions are called universal emotions, and they are known across cultures and a...

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37. Fathers’ brains respond differently to daughters and sons

37. Fathers’ brains respond differently to daughters and sons

Fathers behave differently with daughters and sons: they are more attentive and responsive to their daughters’ needs, sing more often to them, and speak more openly about their emotions towards them.

The study published in 'Behavioural Neuroscience' explored the neural background for this ...

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17. Air pollution hurts not only our lungs, but our brains too

17. Air pollution hurts not only our lungs, but our brains too

After researching the brain of older women with Alzheimer, researchers have found those women’s brain showing smaller brain volume, who were living in areas exposed to higher levels of air pollution compared to those who...

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Background

Background

Have you ever wondered why we often behave so irrationally?

Psychologists do too, which results in countless researches about human nature. Although there is still a lot of unanswered questions, and there is a long way to go until we find the definitive answer for example to why we fall in ...

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30. More hostile people own more aggressive dog breeds

30. More hostile people own more aggressive dog breeds

The personality of owners of stereotypically aggressive breeds, like Rottweiler or German Shepherd, was compared to the owners of stereotypically peaceful bree...

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33. Rejection literally hurts you

33. Rejection literally hurts you

Have you ever felt punched in the stomach after somebody rejected you? It is no wonder that rejection hurts so much.

According to neuroimaging studies the same brain areas are activated during socially and physically painful experienc...

449

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39. Night owls are more intelligent

39. Night owls are more intelligent

A study has found those people, who sleep and wake up late, to be more intelligent.

It might be because of their tendency to diverge from normally practised activities, in this case, the usual social functioning of being a...

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20. Happiness is contagious

20. Happiness is contagious

And so is sadness. The basis of this phenomenon might be our natural tendency to mimic the behaviours and facial expressions of others.

Scientists say...

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1.71K reads

19. Atheists sleep better than Catholics

19. Atheists sleep better than Catholics

In a paper published in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, researchers claim that atheists and agnostics are significantly more likely to be better sleepers than Catholics and Baptists. 

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21. People with lower self-confidence are more likely to be successful

21. People with lower self-confidence are more likely to be successful

People usually think that high self-confidence is the key to achieve success, but according to business psychologists Tomas Chamorro-Premuzic, it is not exactly true, as he says “...

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4. Speaking in a foreign language changes your decisions

4. Speaking in a foreign language changes your decisions

You would not think so, but you might make different decisions when you are speaking in your second language.

According to a study conducted at the University of Chicago, students using a foreign language made less...

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40. We value things that were made by us disproportionately

40. We value things that were made by us disproportionately

We value things more if we were involved in their creation and people also see their creations- even if they are very amateurish- as similar in value to experts’ creations. Researchers calls this phenomenon

447

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44. Being depressed may age your brain

44. Being depressed may age your brain

At a study of an older community, researchers have found that following depression, people had their brains in worse shape.

The brain had literally shrunk in its volume! Depressed elderly have exhibited greater me...

446

1.11K reads

50. One in a hundred people literally feels other’s pain

50. One in a hundred people literally feels other’s pain

Neuropsychologists have discovered that the expression, “I know what you feel” is literally true for some of us.

These people, when they see others being touched, or hurt, experience the same touch or feel like they were hurt. Not the best company for your next horror movie, are they? 

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14. Experiences make us happier than material gifts

14. Experiences make us happier than material gifts

If you want to give the perfect present, remember that psychological research suggests that purchasing experiences has a more lasting positive effect on people’s happiness than material objects and l...

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8. Things that happen to us in early adulthood are with us long term

8. Things that happen to us in early adulthood are with us long term

Have you ever noticed how your mum likes to speak a lot about the things that happened to her during her early twenties? Or ever wondered why people love coming of age teenager stories?

Our preference for recollecting memories from adolescent and early adulthood is called “

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22. Proper sleeping hours improve our memory significantly

22. Proper sleeping hours improve our memory significantly

Do you want to remember something? Give yourself a good night’s sleep: according to a study, fresh memories stick better if we have a well-deserved rest after studying them. 

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3. Stress can be good for us

3. Stress can be good for us

Contrary to popular belief, stress is not always a bad thing, actually it can be good for you.

Psychologists have long observed, that stress help you accomplish task more efficiently, and can motivate you to reach...

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2. A feel-good life is not necessarily a healthy one

2. A feel-good life is not necessarily a healthy one

We all want to be happy, but if you want to be healthy, you should rather search for meaning, says a study led by Barbara Fredrickson.

They have studied the genes of people who are engaging in a lot of activities ...

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35. We don’t change our behaviour by hearing it is bad

35. We don’t change our behaviour by hearing it is bad

Do you want to convince somebody to stop doing something annoying, like littering?

Psychologists advise you rather focus on the positive outcome with your message, say for example: “Almost everybody who lives here, plac...

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43. Thinking that you will end up alone can cause a drop in intelligent thought

43. Thinking that you will end up alone can cause a drop in intelligent thought

Participants of a research who were led to think that they would be alone later in life, were less likely to function logically afte...

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45. We find symmetry attractive

45. We find symmetry attractive

People find face and body symmetry attractive, but do not worry if your face is not completely symmetrical.

It has been proven that by adding symmetrical jewellery or face paint to asymmetrical faces, peo...

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46. Some people’s limbs have their own mind

46. Some people’s limbs have their own mind

The Alien Hand syndrome most usually occurs after somebody suffers from stroke or other brain injury.

The report feeling as if their hand is controlled by someone else. It can behave completely out of their own ...

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49. We all think we are better-than-average drivers

49. We all think we are better-than-average drivers

Although, it is statistically impossible to be so, when asked, most people will answer that they are better-than-average drivers.

If they are told tha...

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48. We almost always underestimate how long it will take to finish a task

48. We almost always underestimate how long it will take to finish a task

Students finish on average, 3 weeks later , that their “most realistic” estimate, and one week later than their “worst case-scenario”.

This overly optimistic mode of planning is called as planning fallacy by psychologists. 

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47. People who appreciate dark humour have Higher IQs

47. People who appreciate dark humour have Higher IQs

Funny people, and especially those who enjoy dark humour, were found to be more intelligent than their less funny peers.

Both their verbal and non-verbal intelligence was higher, mor...

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1. Our early relationship with our mother has life-lasting consequences

1. Our early relationship with our mother has life-lasting consequences

There is a reason why psychologists ask you about your mother.

One of the most robust

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6. Social connections might be more important to us than food

6. Social connections might be more important to us than food

Maslow’s hierarchy is probably wrong. His hierarchy of human needs says that at base levels we are driven by basic physiological instincts to survive and only after fulfilling these needs can we move over to other needs, like social connections and self-actualization.

But

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7. Some of us can smell colours

7. Some of us can smell colours

A few of us can see the shape of emotions, smell colours, or hear shapes.

This interesting neuropsychological phenomenon is called synaesthesia and happens when our mind involuntarily blends sensations that normally are experience...

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9.Botox could treat depression

9.Botox could treat depression

According to the facial feedback theory, our facial expressions influence how we feel.

So scientists have temporarily disabled the muscles needed of sad facial expressions wi...

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10. Listening to classical music is good for your memory

10. Listening to classical music is good for your memory

Do you want to perform better at learning something? It might be time to open your classical music folder, as listening to classical music was found to enhance even older people’s memory performance. The finding is so robust that it has its own name: the “

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11. Our friends know the future of our romantic relationship better than us

11. Our friends know the future of our romantic relationship better than us

According to Tara Macdonald and Michael Ross, if you are in love and you would like to know whether it will last, you should just ask your mom.

They reported that dating couples tend to predict the longevity of their r...

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12. We prefer our own accents as soon as 5 months old

12. We prefer our own accents as soon as 5 months old

Babies are born with the ability to understand all accents of the world, but from the age of 5 months they start to prefer and listen to their mothe...

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13. Kids with dyslexia are more emotionally responsive

13. Kids with dyslexia are more emotionally responsive

Although many times dyslexia is seen only as a problem, it can be a sign of a uniquely functioning brain with many strengths.

For example, watching the same videos, children diagnosed with dyslexia were observed t...

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15. Isolation can hurt us physically

15. Isolation can hurt us physically

Call your grandma! Being socially isolated and feeling lonely have seriously dire consequences on us: they make us more prone to poor mental health and can lead to serious, undesirable cardiovascular outcomes.

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16. Narcissistic people tend to be more politically involved

16. Narcissistic people tend to be more politically involved

Researching who takes part in elections and other political activities, scientists have come to a surprising result: more narcissistic people can be more involved in such activities, may it be signing petitions, donating...

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24. Daydreamers are more creative

24. Daydreamers are more creative

Our culture tends to see mind-wandering as bad, but actually, according to psychologist it can be just a symptom of being intelligent and more creative. 

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18. Westerners are more anxious

18. Westerners are more anxious

According to a study , collecting data from 147 261 adults aged 18 to 99 years, anxiety is more prevalent in high-income countries than in countries with poorer socioeconomic environment.

The study furth...

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25. What we say first is what sticks with others

25. What we say first is what sticks with others

First impressions are more important than you think.

Scientists observed the this at many parts of our life, especially when convincing others, so you should not be afraid to speak up first.

People t...

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27. Sad music makes our mind wander

27. Sad music makes our mind wander

In a brain-imaging study, scientists have found that listening to sad but not happy music increased the strength of mind-wandering.

It has also caused people to focus inwards and think about themselves, while people listen...

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29. Regularly helping others might make us live longer

29. Regularly helping others might make us live longer

When reviewing the effects of regular volunteering, psychologists have found that it might reduce early mortality rates by 22%, compared to those in people’s who don’t take part in such activities.

Regula...

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31. Weekly exercise can prevent downgrade to Alzheimer’s

31. Weekly exercise can prevent downgrade to Alzheimer’s

A research published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy has found that when patients with mild cognitive impairment started practicing physical exercise at least three times a week, their risk of getting ...

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32. There are special periods when alcohol is terrible for us

32. There are special periods when alcohol is terrible for us

Although alcohol abuse is always bad for your brain health, there seem to be 3 specially sensitive periods , when severe alcohol consumption results in cumulative long-lasting detrimental effects on your brain: gestation...

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38. Bonuses don’t always work

38. Bonuses don’t always work

According to a study conducted in India and in the United States, big bonuses only raised the performance of the workers in certain cases: if they did mechanical work.

But in case of work requir...

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41. We are bad at forecasting our emotional reactions

41. We are bad at forecasting our emotional reactions

A research group has studied couples and asked them to predict their emotional state after their possible future breakup.

What was the result after visiting them again if the breakup indeed happened? ...

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23. Writing by hand makes kids smarter

23. Writing by hand makes kids smarter

Although life is getting more digital, psychologists argue for keeping handwriting part of our curriculum.

It seems that kids writing by hand learn more and remember better than the ones using a keyboard. It might...

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28. People who are the most incompetent are the least aware of their own incompetence

28. People who are the most incompetent are the least aware of their own incompetence

There is a reliably observed effect, named after its original observer as the Dunning–Kruger effect, which describes the cognitive bias that individuals with low ability ...

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34. Stress during pregnancy changes our brains

34. Stress during pregnancy changes our brains

Infants’ brains may be shaped by their mother’s experiences during pregnancy.

A new study combining neuroimaging with hormonal samples, found babies of women who were experiencing stress to have different brain st...

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36. People from different cultures process information differently

36. People from different cultures process information differently

It has been shown in multiple studies, that when seen a scene, most Americans focus on the visually most prominent acting object but most east-Asians focus on the background and the context.

This sugg...

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Disclaimer

Disclaimer

Although these facts are interesting, fun, and tell us a lot about human nature, never forget that most of them were described after conducting research with small numbers of specific populations.

But it is a fact that they provide a wonderful way to raise questions, and to start digging i...

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CURATED FROM

CURATED BY

.miu.

19 yo medical student😄 I share interesting and sciency articles! 🇬🇧🇧🇩 MBTI: INTJ-T

Some facts here have completely opened my eyes to our behaviour traits. It's also cool knowing also how these facts are all derived from studies with real participants, and are not just educated theories.

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