You might assume that you know everything there is to know about the human brain, but you’d be wrong! There are tons of psychological facts about the mind and how it works that even some psychologists don’t know, let alone the general population.
Do you believe that your happiness level in life is set from the time you’re born? If so, think again! According to recent research, one of the most important ways to increase your own happiness level—one that’s proven to work better than any other method—is simply to become more aware of what you’re doing and why you’re doing it as you go through each day. So without further ado, here are 11 surprising psychological facts that just might change your outlook on life.
Surprising Psychological Facts That’ll Blow Your Mind
1) People Are More Influenced By Words Than By Actions – Psychological Facts
We all know that actions speak louder than words, but psychological research has found that people are more influenced by what they say than by what they do. In a famous experiment in the 1960s, Dr. Stanley Milgram showed that people would obey an authority figure to the point of electrocuting another person (even if they thought it was painful), just because they were told to do so.
2) The Majority Of Our Decisions Are Made By Our Subconscious Mind
Next on the list of psychological facts is that we only use our conscious mind for about 10% of our decisions. In contrast, the subconscious mind is responsible for making over 90% of the decisions we make. This means that we’re not really in control of what we do every day, and most of it is done without us being aware. Our brain spends much more time resting than doing anything else: during REM sleep there are bursts of activity as well as muscle paralysis (in order to avoid acting out one’s dreams).
3) We Tend To Overestimate Our Own Abilities – Psychological Facts
We tend to overestimate our own abilities and underestimate the number of time tasks take, which can lead to increased stress. Studies show that people think they can do more than they really can, and we’re not very good at estimating how much time tasks will take us. This is called the planning fallacy.
4) We Are More Likely To Help Someone If They Are Wearing A Uniform
It is a well-known fact that we have a tendency to help people who appear to be in need. But did you know that the way they dress can also affect whether or not we are likely to do so? For example, if someone is wearing a uniform of any kind, we are more likely to help them because it appears as if they’re working and have their life together.
5) We Are More Likely To Judge Someone If They Have A Different Opinion From Us – Psychological Facts
It’s a common misconception that the first step to being more tolerant is to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes. But research has shown that we’re actually more likely to judge people who have a different opinion from us. In one study, subjects were asked whether they thought waterboarding was an appropriate interrogation technique. One group was told that it had been used on three terrorists and another group was told that it had been used on 30 terrorists.
6) We Are More Likely To Remember Things That We Have Heard Recently
We are more likely to remember things that we have heard recently. Even if the information is not important, we will remember it better. This is because of something called the recency effect. The recency effect is when we are more likely to recall the thing that most recently happened in a series of events. For example, when trying to remember what you ate for lunch on Monday and Tuesday, you would probably recall what you ate on Monday more than what you had on Tuesday.
Also Read: Recommended Books By Jay Shetty To Awaken Your Monk Mind
7) We Are More Likely To Like Someone If They Remind Us Of Ourselves – Psychological Facts
We are more likely to like someone if they remind us of ourselves. In a recent study, researchers asked participants to rate how much they liked themselves based on their physical appearance. The participants then rated how much they liked other people. Participants tended to rate people who looked like them as being more likable than those who didn’t.
8) We Are More Likely To Believe Something If It Is Easy To Pronounce
The power of language can be seen in the way we believe something. Studies have shown that people are more likely to believe information if it is easy to pronounce. For example, people who heard Coke believed that it was a better-tasting drink than those who heard Pepsi. This is because the word Coke fits into our mouths more easily and sounds more natural to us. It becomes easier for us to accept what we hear as truth. One of the interesting psychological facts for sure.
9) We Are More Likely To Do Something If We Have Been Asked To Do It
We are more likely to do something if we have been asked to do it. This phenomenon is known as the foot-in-the-door technique. It’s based on the principle of reciprocation. You might think that being asked to do something makes you less likely to want to do it, but in reality, once we’ve said yes one time, we are more likely to say yes again.
10) We Are More Likely To Help Someone If They Are Close To Us – Psychological Facts
People are more likely to help someone if they’re close to them, a phenomenon called the neighborhood effect. A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences found that people who lived near each other were more likely to have similar levels of education and income. They were also much more likely to be friends. In fact, they were 10 times as likely to be friends than with people living farther away.
11) Psychological Facts On Love
- The brain releases dopamine when you anticipate something pleasurable, such as a kiss.
- Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that helps people feel motivated to do things.
- People who are in love have higher levels of oxytocin and vasopressin which may help them form an emotional bond with their partner.
- Women in love produce more serotonin than men, but this doesn’t seem to affect the intensity of their feelings for one another.
It’s an incredible thing to think about, the human mind. It’s more powerful than any computer in the world and its capabilities are limited only by our own imagination. And though we may not know everything there is to know about the brain, there is still so much that can be discovered.
