We observe Psychology Month in February to draw attention to the value of psychology in assisting people and communities. Psychology investigates behaviour and makes an effort to understand it. This can be used to enhance decision-making, stress management, and effective living in general[1]. Numerous psychological studies have discovered a number of very fascinating psychology facts that might surprise you, in addition to the extremely useful tools psychology has created, such as various types of therapies. Here are our top five picks:
Ever find yourself browsing endlessly over your social media feed? The dopamine seeking-reward cycle underlies everything [2]. You activate dopamine when you use your phone. Dopamine is commonly referred to as the "pleasure chemical" since it makes you want to enjoy yourself and engage in pleasurable activities like food, sex, drugs, etc. Dopamine, however, also encourages curiosity and the desire for knowledge. Your dopamine loop is therefore activated when you are viewing your feed, which makes you want to scroll further in search of additional information. You will never be pleased with the amount of knowledge, which is terrifying! Until something stops you, you'll probably keep scrolling through your feed.
It's a frequent misconception that being in love sends a person slightly nuts. Donatella Marazziti [3], the individual who made this discovery, speculates it might be the case. The early stages of love commonly mimic obsessions, leading some people to hypothesise that love and obsession may be neurochemically similar. The serotonin transporter 5-HT has been linked by neuroscientists to neuroticism and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) [4]. 20 people who had recently experienced love and 20 untreated OCD patients were both found to have significantly lower 5-HT transporter densities in the study. Your brain therefore handles love and obsession fairly similarly.
This analysis was developed using data from wrongful conviction cases. Interviewing adult suspects in a relaxed setting while using subpar memory retrieval techniques was part of the study. The suspects were questioned for three hours, which caused them to feel they had committed things they hadn't and to confess to them. Some of them thought they had committed a crime as serious as assault with a weapon in their teenage years and were even able to vividly recall the events [5]. Do you believe that you could be persuaded?
You have a genetic predisposition to being more active at night or during the day. The characteristic called as chronotype determines whether you are a morning person or a night owl. By employing wristbands to monitor 85,000 people, this discovery was made [6]. Additionally, they discovered that morning people typically woke up a half-hour earlier than night owls, suggesting that there may be a scientific basis for your desire to sleep in every morning.
Did you know that persons who lack strong social connections have a 50% higher risk of dying young? This is as a result of numerous circumstances. First, loneliness lowers immunity, which raises the risk of contracting diseases. Along with smoking, it causes more inflammation in the body, which worsens heart disease and other chronic illnesses. Stress also affects you more emotionally and mentally while you're alone, which has an impact on your general health. Therefore, if you're feeling isolated, make sure you're doing what you can to combat it. It might come down to life or death!
