Checking your phone is contagious
A 2021 study suggests the same psychological phenomenon that makes yawns contagious also affects people to check their smartphones.
We subconsciously follow the norms imposed on us by people around us and match our actions with theirs, known as the chameleon effect. This is why people often pick up each others' mood during conversation or why yaws are so contagious.
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Most people are susceptible to the chameleon effect's impulse to pick up and look at their phone when someone else is doing it.
Research found the odds that people would use their phones are about 28 times higher when the first user actually looked at their phone while they used it, compared to when a person just held the phone and tapped without looking. But when people were at a meal, they were less likely to check their phones after a trigger event.
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Whenever someone yawns near you, you may find it near impossible not to yawn.
New studies found the reason we battle to stop a yawn appears to reside in the brain area that's responsible for motor function. The urge to yawn when you see someone else doing it is known as echophenomenon - the automatic imitation of another person. Other types of echophenomena include echolalia - imitation of words, and echopraxia - imitations of actions.
Misophonia is characterized by strong negative emotions such as anger and anxiety in response to everyday sounds other people make. These sounds include humming, chewing, typing, and even breathing.
People with this disorder are not just getting annoyed at the sounds. They suffer breakdowns in relationships or even quitting their jobs.
Ocean water is full of mineral salts which enter through the rivers, passing through rock and soil. Water has a property of evaporation whereas salt does not, so a lot of salt is left behind.
Oceans are saline throughout the world, but the Mediterranean Sea is saltier. Many oceans are less salty due to the regular mixing of fresh river water.