facts-about-psychology

Psychology

• Eating certain types of chocolate is good for both your physical and mental health.
• You use your nose to help you find mates. Scientists hypothesize that human beings subconsciously make choices about potential partners based on smell.
• Intelligent people tend to have less friends than the average person. The smarter the person is, the more selective they become.
• We (unintentionally) believe what we want to believe. Humans are victim to something called confirmation bias: the tendency to interpret facts in a way that confirms what we already believe.
• People who swear more often are more honest than those who don't, a study found.
• Marrying your best friend eliminates the risk of divorce by over 70%, and this marriage is more likely to last a lifetime.
• Doing things that scare you will make you happier.
• Anxiety in men often does not appear as nervousness or worry appears, but rather as anger, muscle aches or alcohol use.
• The happier we are, the less sleep we require.
• Gratitude can boost dopamine and serotonin, just like antidepressants.
• Falling in love can make people do questionable and embarrassing things. In fact, research shows that sexual arousal turns off the regions in the brain that control critical thinking, self-awareness and rational behavior.
• The triangular theory of love posits that love is based on three components: intimacy, passion, and commitment. The components are separable but interactive, and all are required within a relationship.
• Humans now have a shorter attention span than a goldfish. Studies have found that the average person's attention span lapses at 8 seconds while a goldfish lasts 9.
• When you remember a past event, you are remembering the last time you remembered it.
• We aren't as good at multitasking as we think we are.
• The two most effective treatments for battling depression are exercise and spending time with pets.
• The type of music you listen to affects the way you perceive the world.
• A hug longer than twenty seconds will release chemicals into your body that make you trust the person you’re hugging.
• It takes five positive things to outweigh a single negative thing. Our brains have something called a "negativity bias" that makes us remember bad news more than the good ones.
• Dr. Phil lost his license to practice psychology in 2006. Therefore, all guests on his TV show must sign a contract stating they are only there to receive "advice" from an individual, not a psychologist.