What do you see in the above picture? A rabbit? A duck? This image shows a phenomenon first described by an American psychologist, Joseph Jastrow, in 1899 and tells us a few things about the brain’s way of processing visual information.
Firstly, this picture is neither a duck nor a rabbit. However, our brain tries to match it to what it has seen in the past, and in that process (for example) it decides it must be a rabbit. Then when the same picture is presented, it decides it must be a duck, because the picture appears to match both figures and the brain randomly decides it can only be one of them.
This experiment proves that the human brain does not simply record visual information on to film (memory), but instead processes it first then records it. This is the reason we see UFOs in clouds, the face of the Virgin Mary on burnt toast or a rabbit on the moon. This phenomenon is called pareidolia, when the brain gives a meaning to what is actually a random visual stimuli. Due to this, we cannot totally trust what we see.
Also, this picture teaches us a valuable lesson regarding our perception. From one point of view it is a rabbit, but from another it is a duck. This kind of scenario is seen countless times in life, such as a song you hated that suddenly sounds great, or a guy you once thought was a tool appearing wonderful all of a sudden, or a girl you never even considered becoming attractive one day. Like this, perception can not only be affected by optimism and pessimism, but even small things like emotions or random events.
Within a display of watches on sale or a watch advertisement, there lies an easily missed but very interesting fact: that almost all the watches show 10 minutes past 10 o’clock. This “rule” is especially prominent in expensive, famous watch brands. The reason for this is very simple.
In 1926, the Hamilton Watch Company first used 10:10 on their watch advertisement so that the needles did not hide the company logo, found on the upper part of the watch face. Around the 1940’s, other famous brands such as Rolex and Timex began using this as well for the same reason. 10:10 not only allow the company logo to be seen easily, but it also framed it to emphasise the logo.
The industry standard back then was actually 8:20 (for the same reason). However, the companies believed that this looked like a frowning face, :(, and so they flipped it around to 10:10, as this looked more like a :), which customers would feel more encouraged by.
Like this, the second hand also follows a similar rule where it points around 30 seconds (but usually not exactly 30 seconds). This causes all three hands to point away from each other with some asymmetry, giving an aesthetically pleasing appearance. For this reason, Timex uses 10:09:36 while Rolex uses 10:10:31.
Of course this rule does not apply to digital watches, only analogue ones. But some companies still prefer to use a standardised time for all of their products, and Apple is a good example. All iPhone ads show 9:42am, because this is roughly the time the first iPhone was announced to the world.
Quite a few people are able to bend their fingers, neck, back, wrist or any other join to make a cracking sound. But how does this phenomenon, that symbolises violence and brings a satisfying feeling, come about? A joint (for the purpose of simplicity, this will only refer to synovial joints, or diarthrosis) is formed from two bones, covered by articular cartilage, being linked by an articular capsule (lined with synovial membrane) and ligaments. The joint space is filled with synovial fluid, which is a lubricant with a smaller coefficient of fraction than any man-made lubricant.
The synovial fluid is the substance that is most involved in the process of cracking a joint. It has carbon dioxide and nitrogen dissolved in it, which leaves the fluid if the pressure inside the joint falls, such as when it is stretched or bent. This causes a bubble to form, which quickly snaps the ligament surrounding the joint, making a whipping sound. Also, the bubbles then collapse as the pressure rises again, adding a popping sound. These two combined are what makes joints crack. It is also why there is a refractory period where the joints do not crack again for a while, as the gases must be redissolved in the synovial fluid.
Children are taught not to crack their fingers because it will thicken their joints and deform them. However, no research data supports this and instead states that it is a myth. Dr Donald Unger received an Ig Nobel prize (an award given for strange discoveries and triumphs in ten different areas) for cracking the joints in only his left hand and not the right for 50 years. He too found that the negative effects were minimal and had no substantial effect on arthritis.
On the last day of the year, almost anyone is bound to make a few New Year’s resolutions. However, realistically it is rare for those resolutions to be kept, and instead forgotten within weeks. But according to Dr Richard Wiseman’s experiment, it was found that utilising other techniques instead of just keeping them to oneself was more effective in carrying out those resolutions. Here are ten methods to help keep one’s New Year’s resolution successful:
Make one resolution only: Rather than making many false promises, it is better to concentrate your efforts into one.
Tell someone to remind you: A resolution only in one’s mind is bound to be forgotten. Instead, tell a friend or a loved one to remind you, or write up a big sign or post a picture somewhere visible.
Plan ahead: Making resolutions requires planning; instead of making an impromptu resolution on the night, think for a few days beforehand for a more effective plan.
Be specific: Vague plans always fail. Instead of “I will quit smoking”, try something specific like “I will smoke one cigarette less for every two days”.
Do not reuse old resolutions: Reusing resolutions will only bring regret and frustration from constant failure, so either make a fresh resolution or use a different approach, such as changing “I will get better grades” to “I will study more”.
Set S.M.A.R.T goals: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Time-based goals are significantly more effective and efficient. For example, if you are looking for a new job, rewrite your CV, set goals you can keep for every new week and apply for a job twice every week.
Think positively: Rather than thinking of the repercussions of not making a resolution, think of the rewards of keeping the resolution.
Carrot over stick: Think how your life will improve from the resolution. For instance, deciding to socialise more will bring more friends, more fun and more happiness into your life.
Visualise: Seeing yourself carrying out the resolution and reaping the reward will help keep the resolution.
Be Persistent: Forming habits take time, so do not blame yourself or give up when you slip up a few times. Instead, you must keep trying with perseverance and confidence.
Lastly, the research also found that women are worse at keeping resolutions compared to men (30% vs 37% respectively).
Humour is language that can make people laugh. However, being a language, every person responds to it differently. This is due to age, culture, religion, nationality and many other factors defining their way of thinking. In 2001, a famous psychologist called Dr Richard Wiseman tackled this problem scientifically. He used the question: “Is there a joke that is funny anywhere in the world?” as a basis to design the experiment called “LaughLab”. The design was quite simple: design a website where anyone can upload a joke that is rated by the world on a scale of 1 to 5. Using this method, Dr Wiseman found the World’s Funniest Joke:
Runner-up:
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson go on a camping trip, and after finishing their dinner they retire for the night, and go to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes wakes up and nudges his faithful friend. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” “I see millions and millions of stars, Holmes” exclaims Watson. “And what do you deduce from that?” Watson ponders for a minute. “Well, astronomically, it tells me that there are millions of galaxies and potentially billions of planets. Astrologically, I observe that Saturn is in Leo. Horologically, I deduce that the time is approximately a quarter past three. Meteorologically, I suspect that we will have a beautiful day tomorrow. Theologically, I can see that God is all powerful, and that we are a small and insignificant part of the universe. What does it tell you, Holmes?” “Watson, you idiot!” he exclaims, “Somebody’s stolen our tent!”
World’s Funniest Joke:
Two hunters are out in the woods when one of them collapses. He doesn’t seem to be breathing and his eyes are glazed. The other guy whips out his phone and calls the emergency services. He gasps, “My friend is dead! What can I do?”. The operator says “Calm down. I can help. First, let’s make sure he’s dead.” There is a silence, then a shot is heard. Back on the phone, the guy says “OK, now what?”
Dr Wiseman says that effective jokes are usually short but gives the audience a feeling of superiority, while relieving stress and featuring a sudden twist.
The heart thumps loudly and rapidly, The mind becomes disoriented and chaotic, The pupils dilate and the eyes become round, The jaws lose strength and the mouth opens wide, The face, especially the top of the ears and cheeks, flushes, Oxytocin and dopamine release a flood of pleasure, The body leans towards the other and copies their motions, Non-verbal communication takes over and the two talk passionately.
Twins are categorised into either maternal or paternal twins. Maternal twins are formed when an embryo splits into two (or more sometimes) in the early stages, and grow separately. In these cases, the two genetically identical babies sometimes even share a placenta. This fact makes them very useful in a research context (Nazi Germany used them extensively in unethical biomedical experiments). As paternal twins come from separate egg and sperm, they are born as normal brothers and sisters. Because of this, it is also possible to have a boy and a girl (maternal twins have the same gender).
In a standard population, less than 5% are twins. However, according to some researches, it is posited that almost 25% of all pregnancies are twins. They hypothesise that out of all these twins, many cases involve one of the twins dying prenatally. If this happens, the corpse is absorbed by the mother and the other baby to recycle the nutrients. Sometimes a half-absorbed foetus is found embedded in the placenta (vanishing twin), or found in the body of the other twin years after birth (fetus in fetu).
A more interesting hypothesis from this research is that in these cases, one twin is left-handed while the other is right-handed. Therefore, left-handed people may have absorbed their right-handed twin in the womb and survived. This theory is validated by cases from nature. Many animals tend to birth two offsprings, then help the stronger one to survive. It is essentially nature’s insurance system.
Another interesting fact related twins is about a place called Candido Godoi, Brazil. This place is famous for being “the twin capital of the world”, due to having 18 times the rate of identical twin births compare to anywhere in the world. This means that one in five pregnant couples can expect double the bundle of joy. The strange fact about this place is that there is a theory that the unnatural twin-birth phenomenon may be linked to a Nazi doctor, Josef Mengele (a.k.a. the Angel of Death) who fled to this town around 1963. It was around then when the phenomenon started occurring. However, it is still uncertain whether he was involved in any way.
A baby appears to have a pure and innocent image, but they also have a side we don’t know about.
Firstly, babies (including infants) know how to lie and steal.
They fake crying to fool an adult, and put on an innocent face on purpose.
During times when they are strongly possessive, they grab what they want and not let go. An adult pities that the baby does not know better and gives it what it wants, but this is actually meticulously planned by the baby.
Furthermore, research has shown that babies show racism and judge people based on looks. Babies, in almost all cases, prefer to be held by the prettier woman. Also, they can perfectly recognise and differentiate faces yet cannot tell the differences in faces from another ethnicity.
Lastly, babies experience euphoria and pleasure through self-harm (banging their heads against a wall produces a similar effect to taking drugs) and can murder their twin inside the womb by (stealing nutrients).
Time after time, those who possessed a thought process that transcends the so-called “box” and revolutionary creativity were both respected and shunned. A genius is someone who has the ability to stir the world yet ignored by the general population. Because of that reason, it is often the case that people do not recognise the true value of a genius and miss out on the golden chance of borrowing his or her abilities. Also, many geniuses cannot shine and be accepted, living a lonely life; this will be the case until someone else who understands their ways and accepts it for what it is.
Like this, human society tends to have its pearls buried in the mud, and superficially appears only as putrid dung most of the time.
Christmas (also called X-mas), on the 25th of December, is the religious celebration day of Jesus Christ’s birth. It is a beloved holiday that is usually the biggest in the year for many countries. Every year on Christmas Eve (24th), children put out cookies and milk, and with a resolution that they will not sleep they await Christmas’ undying star, Santa Claus. But as soon as they fall asleep, Santa arrives in a sleigh pulled by reindeers, comes down the chimney and unloads many presents (only to “nice” kids) under an already-decorated tree. When the 25th comes around, children run to open their presents and celebrate. On this day, most stores close to go into a festive mood. In the evening, the whole family gathers for a feast and celebrates this joyous day.
As with most holidays, Christmas has many interesting stories tied to it.
Firstly, is the 25th of December really Jesus’ birthday? This question has plagued scholars since the 18th century, as the Bible has no record of this. In fact, historic records (old texts, the Bible etc.), scientific data (astronomy etc.) and logic all show that there is a lack of evidence for Christmas actually being the day Jesus was born. Instead, it is suggested that Jesus was born in spring, more specifically the 25th of March. Interestingly, this is celebrated as Annunciation in Christianity, the day when Jesus was allegedly conceived by the Virgin Mary. So which story is correct? This may be linked to the next story.
Secondly, the 25th of December is the Winter Solstice in the Northern Hemisphere. Because of this, many Pagan holidays coincide around this time. For example, ancient Romans celebrated Saturnalia between the 17th and 23rd, to honour the god of agriculture, Saturn (a fun fact is that there is a tradition where they brought a tree inside the house for this day, which is the roots of the modern Christmas tree). Also, later in Rome’s history, the official sun god, Sol Invictus, was honoured on the 25th of December. Many historians hypothesise that when Christianity first developed, it absorbed many of its preceding religions’ holidays, thus giving birth to Christmas.
Lastly, a story about Santa Claus. Santa Claus is based on the Dutch Saint Nicholas, but is also influenced by many other traditional holiday figures, such as Odin from Norse mythologies (who gave gifts to children who put out treats for his eight-legged horse on Christmas day). What is peculiar is the reason Santa wears red. Many people believe that the “red and white outfit” was a product of Coca-Cola’s advertising in the early 20th century, making Santa wear the company colours. However, this theory has some errors. Most importantly, there are many illustrations from before 1925 (when Santa first featured in Coke advertisements) where Santa is portrayed in his plump, bearded form clad in red clothes with a large belt, exactly like the modern Santa. But as there were many other portrayals of Santa back then (e.g. green clothes, skinny etc.), it can be safely said that Coca-Cola’s aggressive advertising and explosive popularity played a vital role in cementing the image of the Santa that we know and love now.
Santa is also known as children’s last innocence. This is because it is something that can only be found in the hearts of children who pray every Christmas to this mythical man to receive a present. Unfortunately, as they grow and learn science and facts (about their parents being the provider) their innocent beliefs turn to ashes. Because of this, some parents like to dress up as Santa to deepen the children’s faith in him, while some never allow the faith to be born in the first place. What is amusing is that in some European countries such as Poland, the idea of Santa Claus is taken quite seriously. Every adult (especially adults and teachers) take strict care not to crush this dream until the age of 4 or 5, almost religiously.
As a final note, some people note that there are some strange connections between Santa and communism: red, large beard, providing only to “nice children”, working the elves in a factory… may whoever reads this decide that fact for themselves.
