50 surprising psychological curiosities

There are up to 20 psychological curiosities that you probably didn’t know or had overlooked. Today we are going to address them so that you know things that, without a doubt, will surprise you! Start with us this wonderful journey that will allow you to explore previously unknown terrain.

1. We have one side of the face more expressive than the other

Yes, the first of the psychological curiosities that we are going to address is that Our left side of the face is more expressive than the right. This is like this for all people, why didn’t you expect it?

2. The cerebral hemispheres have different functions

While our right brain hemisphere is related to emotional processing, the left hemisphere is related to language.

3. We spent 20 years sleeping!

That’s right, when a person turns 60 we can say that they have spent approximately 20 years sleeping. How crazy!

4. By default, nature produces women

One of the psychological curiosities that can generate the most controversy is the statement that Nature produces women by default, that is, automatically. If male hormones come into play, it is when the fetus develops male characteristics.

These male hormones are known as Anti-Mullerian hormones. Its peculiar name comes from its discoverer Johannes Peter Müller. Its specific function is to inhibit the Müllerian duct. That is, the embryonic structure that will form the uterus and tubes, giving rise to the birth of males.

5. The clock gene is different depending on whether you are an early riser or a night owl

There is a gene (the clock gene) which is different in morning people and night owls. So it’s not a question of mania, it seems that we have different genetic predispositions to be more active at night or day.

6. Pheromones influence sexuality

Pheromones do influence our sexuality. Thus, different effects have been observed in mammals:

Lee Boot Effect: It consists of the slowing down or punctual disappearance of the estrous cycle (the menstrual cycle in animals) when they live together.Whitten effect: Women’s menstrual cycles become synchronized when they are in close proximity for a sustained period of time. In other words, if you live with a woman or spend a lot of time with one, it is likely that your ovulation will occur almost simultaneously.Vanderberg effect: Puberty or adolescence is brought forward when females live with males.

7. Fatal familial insomnia is deadly!

There is a pathology called fatal familial insomnia. It is hereditary and, suddenly, people who suffer from it cannot fall asleep. They die between 7-24 months after the onset of the disorder.

8. We don’t learn while we sleep

We don’t learn while we sleep. That is, new knowledge is not learned, but rather the memories experienced during the day are consolidated. In this way, some people find it useful to study before going to sleep, since the next day it will be easier for them to recognize what they have read.

9. We have all suffered hallucinations

We have all suffered hallucinations at some point or are susceptible to them. For example, in conditions of sensory deprivation (such as when we are driving down a monotonous road, we are faced with intense silence and we think we hear a voice). Furthermore, we may find that when we wake up we seem to perceive a sound that has not existed (hypnopompic hallucinations) or that something has happened just as we are falling asleep (hypnagogic hallucinations).

10. Seeing faces or shapes among the clouds is called pareidolia

Seeing faces or shapes among clouds or fire has a name, pareidolia. This phenomenon responds to the tendency of human beings to organize the things they see into stimuli that make sense. In fact, there is a theory that suggests that human beings acquired this ability to be able to distinguish faces among the leaves and defend themselves against their enemies.

11. Childhood dementia exists

Childhood dementia exists and is associated with diseases such as childhood schizophrenia. or other degenerative organic pathologies. These begin at a very early age of life, posing a barrier to the correct development of these children, probably an irrecoverable loss and a hard blow for the child and her environment.

12. Freud is not the father of psychology

The well-known Freud was a psychiatrist and is the founding father of psychoanalysis. It is the German Wilhem Wundt who is recognized as the father of modern psychology. Its importance lies in the creation of the first experimental psychology laboratory where basic reactions were studied and related to the capabilities of the human being.

13. Freud was addicted to cocaine

The one we thought was the father of psychology, Freud was addicted to cocaine, so much so that he shared his addiction with family, friends and even patients to whom he prescribed it. His addiction began when he used this drug as an anesthetic, since he suffered a lot of pain as a result of cancer.

14. Living in the countryside or in the city influences some disorders

It seems that disorders such as schizophrenia occurs in less frequently in people who live in the countryside than in people who live in cities. It seems that stress has something to do with this.

15. Depression affects women more

It could be because socially a greater expression of emotions is allowed in women, because there is some type of genetic association to the female chromosomes for this pathology or because other problems such as alcoholism and addictions mask depression in men (it seems that in populations where alcohol consumption is not allowed, such as the Amish, the tendency is to have equal levels of depression in men and women ).

16. When winter comes, people become more depressed

The most depressing season is winter, It is believed that it is due to less exposure to sunlight, since this produces a decrease in serotonin in the brain.

17. The summer season produces more manic states

The summer season is the one that produces the most manic states. This point and the previous one seem to be less evident depending on the latitude where people are located; Thus, people closer to the equator suffer from these problems to a lesser extent.

18. We suffer microawakenings when we sleep

It is possible that when we sleep, micro awakenings in which we change our posturebut they are so brief that we do not notice them.

19. The brain of an adult has a certain weight

The weight of an adult brain usually varies between 1200-1400 gramsHowever, we must take into account the next and last of the psychological curiosities.

20. We lose brain mass gradually

From the age of 30 our brain gradually loses mass. This may explain, in part, the reason why we lose memory over the years.

Other curious facts about the mind and brain

In case you didn’t know enough, here are other more specific curiosities, but no less impressive. Don’t miss any:

80% of what we worry about never happens. It only takes the brain 30 seconds to form a first impression of someone.The more options we have, the less likely we are to be satisfied with the decision made. This is known as the paradox of choice. Negativity weakens your immune system.Sarcasm is good for your brain health. It exercises it and promotes creativity. We can only store between 5 and 9 elements in working memory. This is why we group the digits of telephone numbers, since each group counts as an item in itself. The brain understands messages written in positive better than those written in negative. Our memories are reconstructed over time . It is impossible for our memories to always remain the same.We are much more impressionable when we feel afraid or sad.A little stress helps you perform a task better. A lot of stress causes a decrease in performance. In terms of the well-being of a person who is going through a bad time, perceived social support is more important than real support. Women have twice as many pain receptors in their bodies as men, but , on the other hand, have a higher pain tolerance.Whenever we sleep, we dream, even if we don’t remember it later.Growth hormone is secreted, for the most part, during sleep. That is why it is essential that children rest adequately. When we lose a limb, the brain representation remains present for some time. During this period, the person continues to feel that he or she has a whole body. This is what is known as phantom limb syndrome.There is a disorder, called prosopagnosia, that prevents a person from recognizing faces.The social context has a determining effect on addictions. Moving can help the person stop using.We remember better the information placed first and last in a list. This is called the primacy and recency effect. People who believe they should be treated and are not receiving that health care are more likely to develop health problems. This is known as the nocebo effect. Groups of more than 150 people (approximately) need a series of rules and clearly assigned roles that allow the creation of sub-groups to function well and not generate conflicts. When we look at something or someone that we find attractive, the Pupils dilate more. The human eye is made in such a way that in our visual field there is a point where we do not capture visual stimuli, since in that place the retina fuses with the optic nerve. However, we do not realize this, because our brain “makes up” that information. Human beings are predisposed to identify with ambiguous descriptions of people: we quickly assume that we fit what is explained. That is why the horoscope is so successful.Opposites do not attract, but complementary people do. Couples and families whose members are very different from each other tend to break up. People who sleep little have a much lower ability to concentrate and reason than other people, and they also do not realize it. One of the psychological phenomena that most influence social relationships is what is known as the Halo effect. This term describes a propensity to make global and positive evaluations about natural or legal persons, based on knowing one of their most notable characteristics. It is impossible for the contents of our memory to always remain the same. The psychological phenomenon called “effect third person” is that, as a general rule, we tend to believe that we are less susceptible to believing false information compared to the majority of people. Every time we sleep, we contribute to the information collected during…