Unexpected Findings: 40 Studies with Surprising Results

The study that yielded the concept of the alpha wolf (commonly used by people to justify aggressive behavior) originated in a debunked model using just a few wolves in captivity. Its originator spent years trying to stop the myth to no avail.

2. In the longest study of humans ever conducted, the 75 years long Harvard Grant Study found that professional success in life comes from having done chores as a kid.

3. Researches at Harvard and Columbia concluded that sarcasm promotes creative thinking because both the expressers and recipients of sarcasm need to overcome the contradiction between the literal and actual meanings of the sarcastic expressions.

4. A scientific study found that starting high school one hour later than usual, allowed students to sleep more than half an hour more, and was associated with reduced sleepiness and increased academic performance.

5. In the late 1960s, some researchers reported that catnip gave people a marijuana-like high when smoked, but it turned out they had simply mixed up the two plants.

A U.S. FDA study showed that 90% of more than 100 drugs, prescription and over-the-counter, “were perfectly good to use even 15 years after the expiration date.” The U.S. military saved $260 million in five years by not discarding expired drugs.

7. Giraffes were thought to be nearly completely silent because their long necks make vocal vibration difficult. However, researchers spent 8 years recording almost 1000 hours of audio at three zoos and discovered that giraffes produce a spooky, deep humming noise, almost like tantric chanting.

8. A study has shown that male Robins make the best bird husbands as they possess the capability to guess what their wives want to eat. Whether or not they saw what the females ate last, they can still get exactly what their partner wished for. They are also monogamous.

9. A study has revealed that the majority of American dog owners are willing to end their relationship if their dog doesn’t like their partner.

10. Farm-raised ostriches are attracted to humans and a scientific study found that “70% of the ostriches reliably hit on the humans when they were around,” and they would solicit sex “more than twice as often when the humans were nearby.”

A recent study out of the University of Kansas found that it takes about 50 hours of socializing to go from acquaintance to casual friend, an additional 40 hours to become a “real” friend, and a total of 200 hours to become a close friend.

12. According to NASA researchers, an optimal nap will last between 20-30 minutes and a perfect nap will last exactly 26 minutes.

13. The song “Mr. Blue Sky” by the Electric Light Orchestra was found to be the happiest song ever using a formula made by studying songs from a period of 50 years.

14. A psychology study of more than 4,000 millionaires found that people with more wealth are indeed happier with life. They also found that people who earned their wealth were happier than those who inherited it.

15. Some physical expressions are hardwired into our genes. A study has observed that blind athletes (and blind kids) use the victory gesture (raising hands) after winning even though they have never seen anyone else do it.

Following an immensely popular TED talk about the benefits of power poses, many politicians adopted wide-legged stances in photos, but 11 further studies on power posing failed to replicate the original findings. There is no science to it at all.

17. A study has shown that an average male gets bored on a shopping trip after just 26 minutes while an average woman tires after around two hours.

18. Human procrastination is considered a complex psychological behavior because of the wide variety of reasons people do it. Although often attributed to “laziness”, research shows it is more likely to be caused by anxiety, depression, a fear of failure, or reliance on abstract goals.

19. A study was performed by researchers that examined the brains of nuns who engaged in “centering prayer,” which is meant to create a feeling of oneness with God. The nuns’ brain scans showed similarities to people who use drugs like psilocybin mushrooms.

20. A double-blind study which was published in Nature showed that experienced astrologers are no better at determining people’s psychological traits based on the location of the stars during their birth than someone who is randomly guessing them.

Studies have confirmed that talking on a cellphone is as dangerous as driving drunk. Hands-free cellphone usage is as bad as or worse than handheld usage and texting while driving is 17 times more dangerous than driving drunk.

22. A London based study of 2018 discovered that 70% of women are bullied by “Queen Bees” in the workplace. “Queen Bees” have been characterized as women who adopt socially aggressive behaviors such as gossiping, exclusion, alienation, and stealing friends/partners due to insecurity.

23. In 2015, researchers testing the efficiency of mosquito repellents used Victoria’s Secret perfume because they thought the floral fragrance would attract mosquitoes. To their surprise, they found it repels mosquitoes better than a range of mosquito deterrents.

24. A study of 1,300 cross country runners found that runners who didn’t stretch and runners who always stretched had the same injury rate. However, runners who only sometimes stretched had a much higher injury rate.

25. There have been nine different studies on DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) and all agree that the program does nothing or worsens the problem.