15 Mind-Blowing Psychological Facts!

13 Mind-Blowing Psychological Facts!

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior.

Studies to understand why we are the way we are have been ongoing for decades and will continue in the future.

We're learning more and more every day, yet there's still so much we don't know.

Some study findings are more intriguing than others.

Did you know that using punctuation in text messages makes you appear untrustworthy?

Secure your seatbelts.

You're in for a wild psychological rollercoaster.

The following psychology facts may simply explain or validate some of the things you observe in yourself or others!

Number 1: If we have a Plan B, Plan A is less likely to fail.

Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania examined the performance of volunteers on a certain job and discovered that those who considered a backup plan performed worse than those who did not.

They also discovered that when participants realized they had other options, their drive decreased.

This is connected to Victor H. Vroom's 1964 Expectancy Theory.

According to expectation theory, your motivation for something is determined by whether you expect to succeed at it.

A backup plan assumes that you will not succeed the first time.

Researchers believe it's crucial to plan ahead, but they warn against getting too caught up in the specifics.

You can unintentionally sabotage your own success.

Number 2: Catching a Yawn Could Help Us Bond

The workday has just begun, and you're eager to get started.

You're sitting in your cubicle during your morning meeting when the guy next to you lets out a large, loud, irritating yawn.

You'll find yourself yawning before you realize it.

But you're not shown tired!

That's a yawn answer.

There are several hypotheses as to why yawns are contagious; one of the most prominent is Yawns express empathy.

This explains why young toddlers who haven't yet formed a feeling of empathy or those on the autism spectrum are less prone to yawn.

Number three: We care more about a single person than we do about massive tragedies.

In another University of Pennsylvania study, researchers looked at people's behavior as

It was about donating to causes depending on particular inputs.

One group showed a malnourished little child.

The second group was told a figure about millions of people dying from hunger, while the third group was informed about both.

Those who merely heard about the statistic gave the least, followed by those who heard about

both.

Those who learned about the little child donated twice as much as the statistic group.

Psychologists relate this to the fact that when an issue feels too enormous, we feel helpless and unimportant, as if our efforts will be futile.

In this scenario, it appears that saving one malnourished girl is more possible than eradicating world hunger.

Number 3 - Beginnings and endings are easier to remember than middle ones.

Have you ever gone grocery shopping and realized you forgot your food list?

When trying to remember things without it, you can visualize it and remember stuff around the beginning and end.

But the details in the midst are hazy.

A research published in Frontiers of Human Neuroscience corroborated this.

It's known as the Serial-Position Effect.

It's also why you might recall the end of your manager's presentation but not the middle.

So it is a thing, and you may not have ADHD after all.

Number 4: It takes five positive things to outweigh one negative thing.

You may have heard that you should start and end your day by thinking about a few things you're grateful for.

This helps keep us balanced since we have a Negativity Bias, which causes us to focus on the negative rather than the positive.

It is pointless to dwell on the things that make you unhappy.

In your life, aim for a five-to-one ratio of good to bad.

You might simply manifest something great!

Number 5: Food tastes better when someone else prepares it.

Have you ever wondered why food always tastes better when Mom makes it?

Food tastes better when it is prepared by someone else, assuming they are competent cooks.

Researchers explain this by saying that when you're making a meal for yourself, by the time you're ready to eat, it's been so long that it's less thrilling, and as a result, you eat less.

As a result, you enjoy it less.

Number 6: - We'd Rather Know That Something Bad Is Coming Than Not Know What to Expect.

Have you ever felt a pit in your stomach when someone says, "We need to talk"?

Your mind immediately floods with a million various horrible things it may be about.

If it's a romantic partner, you'd probably rather they just break up with you right away.

If it's your boss, you'd rather they fire you right away.

Researchers discovered that humans prefer knowing something unpleasant is about to happen over uncertainty.

This is because when we don't know what to expect, our brain goes into overdrive, trying to forecast all conceivable outcomes, both good and terrible.

Number 7: When one rule seems too strict, we want to break more.

People tend to disobey more regulations when they feel like certain freedoms are being constrained in an attempt to restore the freedom that they perceive as being taken away, according to the psychological phenomenon known as Reactance.

This is best demonstrated by teenagers.

When they are grounded, they may not only sneak out, but they may also engage in other risky behaviors as a type of reaction.

Number 8: There's a Reason We Want to Squeeze Cute Things

Puppies and infants

Don't you simply want to love them, squeeze them, and cuddle with them?

That, evidently, is a natural reaction called cute aggression.

According to a Frontiers in Behavioural Neuroscience article, the notion behind charming aggression is that when we are overwhelmed with good sensations, such as those induced by an adorable puppy or newborn, a small bit of hostility balances out those overpowering feelings.

so that we don't damage innocent small beings.

Number ten: We unintentionally believe what we want to believe.

Confirmation Bias is the tendency to perceive facts in a way that reinforces what we already believe.

This explains why people with certain political beliefs choose certain news outlets over others.

Forget about convincing Uncle Fred to change his mind about foreign relations.

Not only does confirmation bias encourage us to seek out information that confirms our existing beliefs, but it also causes us to reject contrary information.

Number 9: You are programmed to like the music you listened to in high school.

Good music causes the release of dopamine and other feel-good molecules.

"This is my jam!" exclaimed every youngster at a party at some point.

Oh, the glory days of high school...

Or, more specifically, between the ages of 12 and 22, when everything seems to be exaggerated.

Music is included.

Despite the passage of time, studies reveal that we relate to the music we listened to as teenagers more than we do as adults.

Number 10: Memories Are More Like Pieced-Together Pictures Than Accurate Snapshots

False memories are things that you recall in your mind but aren't actually true, in whole or in part.

As an example, you may believe you began the dishwasher before leaving for work when, in fact, you did not.

This is because our brains can sometimes incorrectly fill in the blanks when we simply remember the gist of what happened.

Number 11: - We Look for Human Faces Even in Inanimate Objects

Pareidolia is the tendency to see distinct, often meaningful images, such as faces, in random places.

Visual patterns that are haphazard or unclear.

The guy in the moon is a well-known illustration.

Some experts attribute it to the fact that, as social beings, recognizing faces is so important.

We'd rather make one where one doesn't exist than miss one that does.

Number 12: People rise to our high expectations and do not rise if we have low expectations.

The Pygmalion Effect is a psychological phenomenon in which high expectations lead to higher performance.

performance.

In a well-known study conducted in the 1960s, researchers informed teachers that random students had high test scores.

IQ test scores indicate their potential.

They discovered that those designated as high-potential kids ended up becoming high achievers.

Because of their professors' higher expectations, at least in part.

Number 13: Our Brain Doesn't Think Long-Term Deadlines Are That Important

Yes, you could certainly start working on that major assignment for work or school right now, but

I received it for several months.

Before you know it, those months have passed, and you're scrambling to pack months' worth of work into a matter of days.

Urgent, unimportant chores are more enticing.

They provide rapid gratification because they are quicker and easier to do.

Our brains process short-term deadlines, like those measured in days, better than long-term ones, like those defined in months or years.