26 Clothing Affects Mental Performance
Clothing influences cognitive performance. In one study, participants scored higher on a mental agility test when they believed they were wearing a doctor’s coat. However, when told the same white coat belonged to a painter, the effect disappeared. This finding suggests that we embody the associations we have with certain clothing.
27. The Ovsiankina Effect explains why people feel an innate urge to complete unfinished tasks. When an action remains incomplete, the brain pushes us to resume it, especially when we haven’t yet achieved our goal.
28. Shopping decisions become less rational over time. A study found that consumers think logically for the first 23 minutes of shopping. After that, emotions begin to take over. By the 40-minute mark, mental fatigue sets in, causing rational thought to decline significantly.
29. The Overview Effect describes the profound cognitive shift astronauts experience when viewing Earth from space. It is the experience of seeing the earth firsthand, its fragile reality in space, and the interconnected whole that often leads to heightened environmental awareness and a deepened sense of unity.
30. Wealth influences happiness, but how it is earned matters. A psychology study of over 4,000 millionaires found that wealthier individuals tend to be happier. However, those who built their own wealth reported greater life satisfaction than those who inherited it.
31 Sunlight’s Impact on Mental Health
Sunshine has a greater impact on mental health than temperature or rain. Studies show that exposure to sunlight significantly improves mood and well-being, regardless of weather conditions.
32. The Bouba-Kiki Effect reveals a universal tendency in human perception. When presented with two shapes-one rounded and one sharp-people across different cultures, languages, and age groups overwhelmingly associate “Kiki” with the sharp shape and “Bouba” with the rounded one.
33. Terminal lucidity describes a sudden return of mental clarity or memory in individuals suffering from severe dementia or neurological disorders shortly before death.
34. The SnackWell Effect occurs when people overindulge in something they perceive as having a free pass. Named after low-fat cookies that led consumers to eat more, this effect appears in other areas as well. For example, people who use low-energy light bulbs tend to leave them on longer.
35. The Proust Phenomenon explains why smells trigger vivid and emotional memories more effectively than other sensory cues. This occurs because the olfactory bulb, which processes scents, has direct connections to the brain’s memory and emotion centers, unlike other senses that require additional processing.
36 Psychological Damage of Isolation
Solitary confinement severely impacts both mental and physical health. These prisoners often struggle to separate reality from their thoughts, leading to perceptual distortions, paranoia, and even psychosis. Physical effects include lethargy, insomnia, palpitations, and loss of appetite.
37. The Cross-Education Effect occurs when exercising one limb improves strength in the other, even if it remains inactive. This neurophysiological phenomenon highlights how the brain adapts to physical training.
38. Judges are more lenient after a meal and harsher before a break. Known as the Hungry Judge Effect, this phenomenon suggests that hunger and fatigue influence decision-making in legal settings.
39. Rosy Retrospection is a psychological bias that causes people to remember the past more positively than they actually experienced it.
40. Contactless payments encourage higher spending. Studies show that users spend twice as much when using phones or cards instead of cash. By removing the “psychological pain” of parting with money, frictionless payments contribute to rising consumer debt worldwide.
41 Buying One Thing Leads to More
The Diderot Effect occurs when acquiring a new possession triggers a spiral of consumption, leading people to buy even more. As a result, we often purchase things our past selves never needed to feel happy or fulfilled.
42. A superiority complex is a psychological defense mechanism that develops over time to help individuals cope with deep-seated feelings of inferiority.
43. Parents do have a favorite child, according to research. A study published in the Journal of Family Psychology found that 74% of mothers and 70% of fathers admitted to showing preferential treatment toward one child.
44. Toxic positivity is the excessive focus on positive thinking while dismissing negative emotions like anger or sadness. This mindset, often promoted by positive psychology, can invalidate real struggles and discourage emotional processing.
45. Psychic numbing describes the phenomenon where “the more people die, the less we care.” As numbers increase, we not only become numb to the significance of rising death tolls, but our compassion may also diminish.
15 Most Controversial & Costly Blunders in History
46 Music Encourages More Shopping
Retailers use background music to influence shopping behavior. Many stores-including malls, grocery stores, department stores, cruise ships, and airports-play ambient music because it psychologically encourages customers to shop longer and browse more easily.
47. Nostalgia was once considered a psychological disorder. Early definitions described it as an obsessive longing for a specific time and place. In fact, the traditional Swiss milking song Khue-Reyen triggered such intense homesickness in soldiers that it was banned from being played.
48. The Endowment Effect is a psychological bias in which people place a higher value on objects they own compared to identical objects they do not own, making them less likely to part with their possessions.
49. Limerence is an intense emotional and psychological obsession with another person, known as the limerent object. Those experiencing limerence often fantasize uncontrollably and perceive signs of interest even when none exist.
50. Strange Face Illusions occur when staring at one’s own reflection in dim lighting. Over time, the brain distorts the image, causing people to see an unfamiliar face or eerie alterations in their own features.
RE: Fact #7 (How Mistakes Affect Likability) – Basically, really smart people seem more down-to-earth once people see they’re not perfect. But if someone average messes up, it’s just another example of their usual incompetence.
RE: Fact #13 (Strict Parents Make Better Liars) – Dysfunctional families? We’re the storytelling champs.
RE: Fact #6 (Taking Photos Hurts Memory) – Extended mind theory talks a lot about this. Your brain doesn’t really see a difference between getting info from inside itself or from somewhere else, like the internet. So things like the internet, photos, and notes aren’t just tools—they’re actually part of how we think.
RE: Fact #42 (Masking Insecurity with Superiority) – Yeah, I get it. The pressure to always feel on top is too much, so you just tell yourself you’re better than everyone else.
RE: Fact #9 (Abuser’s Defensive Reaction Pattern) – Abusers often deny everything, then blame their victims. They try to make themselves look like the real victims.
For instance, imagine someone gets caught lying about a popular game developer. Instead of admitting it, they’d probably keep attacking the developer and claim *they’re* the ones being wronged.
RE: Fact #10 (Store Design Manipulates Shoppers) – By the time I’m halfway through IKEA, I’m too wiped out to even talk about paint colors or which sofa to get with my wife. I just start chucking stuff into the cart.
I go in with a shopping list, but always walk out with nothing – it’s just too overwhelming.
RE: Fact #50 (Distorted Reflections in Dim Light) – It’s all down to how your brain works: after a while, looking at the same thing gets dull, so your brain starts making stuff up or playing up details. Low light makes it even worse, because it’s harder to see properly, giving your imagination free rein. Some people even think it’s connected to something called the “Troxler effect”—where things at the edge of your vision seem to disappear or change if you focus on one spot.
This trick of the eye has been part of spooky stories and legends for ages. Think about all those tales of calling up ghosts by staring in a mirror – ever heard of Bloody Mary?
RE: Fact #40 (Tap-to-Pay Increases Spending) – A credit card that gives you a little jolt each time you use it would be pretty cool.
RE: Fact #44 (Ignoring Negative Emotions Harms You) – I’m seeing tons of toxic positivity online, a lot of it just plain unrealistic and wrong. People are saying stuff like, “If you can’t say something nice, you’re blocked!” Problem is, they only hear from people who agree with them, which isn’t good for getting different viewpoints and can make things really divisive.
RE: Fact #27 (Urge to Complete Unfinished Tasks) – Turns out, some folks just don’t get what it’s like to have ADHD.
Nope, I don’t have that.
RE: Fact #31 (Sunlight’s Impact on Mental Health) – Summer’s crazy heat and sunshine totally bum me out. I’m much happier with cloudy, rainy weather.
Totally get that! Bright, empty blue skies on sunny days? It’s like a weird kind of claustrophobia, and it just drags me down all day. The worst is, I frame houses in Texas, so that’s pretty much my whole world. Rainy days are way better—even just clouds make a huge difference. I feel way more energized then.
RE: Fact #34 (Perceived ‘Healthy’ Leads to Overindulgence) – Back when airbags became standard, people wore seatbelts less often in places where it wasn’t required.
Nowadays, US airbags are stronger and faster than Canadian ones because Americans buckle up way less often.
It was the same deal with anti-lock brakes; a lot of folks started driving riskier.
RE: Fact #25 (Incompetence Breeds Overconfidence) – Most people think they’re smart but overlooked, no surprise there.
I’m clueless. If I was dumb, I wouldn’t know it, and nobody could tell me otherwise.
RE: Fact #12 (Barnum Effect) – Fake psychics use this trick in their readings.
RE: Fact #1 (Selective Attention in Noisy Rooms) – So what do you call it when this goes wrong? Lots of people are having this problem.
I have APD, which makes it really hard to focus when there’s more than one person talking near me. It’s tough to concentrate on anything with lots of noise around.
RE: Fact #31 (Sunlight’s Impact on Mental Health) – Calgary winters: sunny and cold, but totally doable.
RE: Fact #36 (Psychological Damage of Isolation) – I did three years in solitary in Texas, 2008 to 2011. Those three years were the absolute worst, making the other two feel like a walk in the park. It was brutal.
Guys would come in seeming pretty normal, as normal as you get in max security. A few months later, they’d be totally nuts, yelling their heads off, throwing stuff, flooding their cells, starting fires.
It was even worse when they just… checked out. They’d stop showering, stop going to rec, stop eating. No more yelling, no talking. Just lost in their own world, not even getting out of bed.
When I finally got out, I was months behind schedule. I thought I still had six months left; I’d completely lost track of time.
RE: Fact #6 (Taking Photos Hurts Memory) – That’s really cool! Thanks.
RE: Fact #7 (How Mistakes Affect Likability) – Without reading it, I’m guessing the article makes the awesome people seem more relatable, but normal people just look kinda annoying because they messed up again.
RE: Fact #28 (Logical Shopping Declines Over Time) – Phew, glad I’m not alone! An hour of shopping and my brain’s fried. Back when I was younger, I could browse bookstores for hours and love it. Makes you wonder, huh?
I think I used my gut more and was more open-minded then, so maybe it’s the constant rejecting of stuff that’s tiring, not the shopping itself. It’s like self-expression, you know?
So, yeah, any kind of intense thinking probably does that to you. Time to rethink how I write, I guess.
RE: Fact #31 (Sunlight’s Impact on Mental Health) – Talk to anyone with SAD about this. Or anyone, like me, who got happier after moving somewhere sunny, like Southern California—sunshine practically every day there!
RE: Fact #21 (Why Sizzling Fajitas Sell More) – Usually, it’s not the smell that makes me order fajitas. It’s that they’re always hot and delicious when they arrive.
RE: Fact #1 (Selective Attention in Noisy Rooms) – It’s a real pain when you can’t manage this stuff. Lots of us with ADHD have the same problem, or just can’t do it at all. It’s super draining and makes you feel wiped out.
It doesn’t even take much to trigger it. Even at a quiet lunch with a friend, I could hear and understand three other conversations – one on my right, one on my left, and one behind my friend.
Sometimes it gets so bad I can’t make out what anyone is saying. I even had to bail on a friend’s birthday dinner recently because it was too much – a busy, noisy bar and grill with our group of ten, and me right in the middle.
RE: Fact #4 (Men’s Behavior Around Women) – Guys do dumb stuff to impress girls. What’s new.
It’s like there’s some built-in biological thing making them do this. Too bad other animals don’t act so strange around potential mates. Another mystery!
People are strange. Most other male animals just chill while they’re looking for a partner.
RE: Fact #24 (Movies Lower Divorce Rates) – So, couples who talk things out a lot seem to split up less often. Huh.
RE: Fact #2 (Renewed Interest in New Partners) – So, the name’s origin? It’s from a funny old story about Calvin Coolidge. Apparently, he and his wife were separately touring a farm, and his wife saw a very busy rooster. She asked how often it happened, and was told, “Tons of times a day!” She said to tell the President. When the President heard, he asked if it was the same hen each time. The answer? Nope, a different one every time. The President’s response? “Tell that to Mrs. Coolidge.”
RE: Fact #36 (Psychological Damage of Isolation) – The Canadian Medical Association Journal slammed solitary confinement as cruel and unusual punishment. A deputy editor, Dr. Diane Kelsall, pointed out that isolation messes with prisoners’ heads, making them confused, paranoid, and even psychotic. It can also worsen existing health problems and cause physical issues like sleeplessness, heart palpitations, and loss of appetite. Basically, the lack of social contact and stimulation drives people crazy, leading to depression, anger, and a higher risk of suicide. They say solitary should only be used as a last resort, for the shortest time possible, only if it’s absolutely necessary for safety.
Staying cooped up even for a day makes me feel awful. Do they offer any kind of treatment or meds to keep prisoners mentally engaged while they’re in solitary?
RE: Fact #21 (Why Sizzling Fajitas Sell More) – It’s an advertisement.
RE: Fact #11 (Forgetting After Walking Through Doors) – It’s all about how our memory works, you see. We remember stuff based on where we are. Change rooms, change where you are, and poof – those thoughts vanish.
RE: Fact #43 (Parents Do Have Favorites) – Anyone who’s got brothers and sisters gets that. My mom seemed to play favorites with the boys, but she totally adored our oldest brother.
RE: Fact #8 (Benjamin Franklin Effect ) – Machiavelli even said it in *The Prince*: get someone to owe you one, and they’ll be more loyal.
RE: Fact #2 (Renewed Interest in New Partners) – Jennifer Coolidge? Totally! She was a knockout back then.
RE: Fact #23 (Looking Better in Groups) – That grad student was pretty smart, going to their advisor and saying they wanted to research how attractive groups of women are.
RE: Fact #30 (Earned Wealth Boosts Happiness) – Been broke, been loaded. Loaded’s way better!
RE: Fact #4 (Men’s Behavior Around Women) – Risking it all for a hookup.
RE: Fact #33 (Sudden Clarity Before Death) – Being a nurse who’s looked after people at the end of their lives, I’ve seen this happen loads of times. Families often see it as a bit of a break, or even something good, when their loved one gets a couple of really nice days before the end.