10 Scientific Studies and Discoveries You Can’t Afford to Ignore

Are you interested in knowing scientific studies that can affect your life in one way or another if not realized? Or maybe you just want to know some entertaining facts.

Whichever one you are, we have compiled 10 studies and discoveries that you will certainly find interesting. Let’s start with this fun one:

1. Scientists discovered that humans glow in the dark—but our eyes can’t see it.

Although it has been known for some time now, that almost all living organisms release a small amount of light, it has been proven to be difficult to photograph this fact.

What is interesting in this study is that the upper body, especially the cheeks, neck, and forehead emits the most light. We think that this is not a coincidence, that they all are close to our human brain.

If you are not familiar with the term, “Bioluminescence”., just think of it as the glow in the glow-in-the-dark particle that organisms emit. Usually better seen in marine animals. One example would be the Australian beach Jervis Bay.

Now it would be cool if we humans could glow in the dark like that, however, the light we emit as stated is not seen with our naked eyes. To learn more about this study, you can visit the source below.

Source: The Guardian

2. A Harvard study found that loneliness is as deadly as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Now, if you have not noticed, there is a loneliness epidemic happening as of the time of the publishing of this article.

There are several reasons why, and one of the most prominent is the COVID-19 lockdowns. This is because we humans are social creatures, however socializing is a skill, and just like any other skill, if you stop using it, you will get rusty.

Another reason is social media. Nowadays, Gen Z and Millenials all do most of their socializing online. However, this might not be as effective as hanging out with your friends and loved ones in person.

Now, if you want to know more, specifically and scientifically how it is as bad as smoking, you can visit this article by Harvard for more information.

Source: Harvard Health

3. Men who regularly eat fast food have lower testosterone and reduced sperm count, a study suggests.

If you live in a city, you can drive for 5 mins and see 10s of fast food restaurants. Now, after several studies have been released, most people still ignore the fact that it can be harmful to their health, especially for men, as you can see in the demand for these food chains.

As stated in the study source below, men who regularly eat fast food, have lower testosterone and sperm count. There are probably some people thinking it is not as bad as it sounds, or that we can live with men having low testosterone.

However, in our opinion, this saying is true, “Strong men create good times, and good times create weak men.” Now if you continue that quote, the next statement is, “Weak men create hard times.”.

Testosterone is a big factor in men’s health, if it continues to go down, you will probably see a lot more weak men in society. Then the ones who will suffer in the end are not just this demographic but the whole community.

To know and read more about the scientific reasons, you can head on to this study source.

Source: CNN

4. People who sleep less than 6 hours per night are 12% more likely to die early, according to a study.

First of all, this study is 14 years old. However, related studies have been published claiming the same conclusions.

With the popularity of social media, combined with countless distractions such as movie streaming platforms, sports broadcasts, and various other entertaining channels, it has been so easy to stay up late.

Now, of course, some can be a medical condition, but we are talking about those who do it intentionally.

As a Gen Z, sometimes it gets hard to sleep scrolling through social media such as TikTok and YouTube. Not because we are not tired, but because of how good and relevant the algorithms have become.

People have genuinely become addicted without knowing about it, and we hope this study won’t apply to them. If you want to read and know more about the scientific bit of the article, you can head on to this source below.

Source: The Guardian

5. A study found that ultra-processed foods are linked to increased depression and anxiety.

If you would like to know more about the study you can read more in the source below.

In our opinion, processed foods are some of the easiest to make, similar to fast food restaurants. It takes time and knowledge to cook, along with buying groceries.

That makes processed and fast food the convenient choice, especially for younger generations who are losing a lot of these life skills. It could also just be that there is an increase in depression and anxiety in society, so naturally, almost all stats related to it could be affected. Thus making it correlations rather than causations.

So, you can probably hold off, staying off processed foods completely, but it is better and proven time and time again how healthy fresh foods are. So that should still be your number one choice.

Source: Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

6. Research shows that standing desks do not reduce the risk of heart disease.

About 5 years ago, there has been a trend on social media about standing desks. Different research was published claiming it has huge benefits, but today, what we are referencing is a study that completely rejects this notion.

This new study concluded that standing for an extended period of time can actually cause negative effects on your health instead.

Now, in our opinion should you not get one at all? Actually, it still helps from time to time, as sitting for long periods of time, especially with bad posture is just as bad.

So getting a desk that is flexible and can stand can help you stretch to avoid any of the other extreme two scenarios. To know more about the complete study, you can head to this source.

Source: CNN

7. A study found that spending time in nature can increase memory and focus by 20%.

First of all, whether this study will be proven true or false in the future, in our opinion spending time in nature is just as beneficial still for a lot of reasons.

Have you experienced something like that before, where taking a walk in nature, or just looking at it sometimes improves your mood?

I think it is common sense at this point, humans are not meant to be stuck in four walls all day. We evolved to walk long distances and spend time in nature, so it is naturally healthy and good for us.

Also, here is a fun tip, next time you are trying to make a big decision, hold it off until you return from a few minutes walk in nature. This will clear your mind and boost your mood.

To find out more about the specifics of the study, you can head to this source below.

Source: University of Michigan

8. Scientists discovered that people who read fiction are better at understanding emotions than those who don’t.

Whether it is Harry Potter, Game of Thrones, or other famous fiction, reading is already good for most people, but fiction engages your imagination even more because of how creative the writings can be.

If you have never tried to read a fiction book before, this is usually how it goes in your mind. Since there are no photographs, you try to envision how the story and characters would look.

Even if the author became as detailed as possible, each of these visions will depend on the individuals, especially their real-life experiences. That is why it is reading is good for the mind and your imagination.

By allowing you to visualize and step into the shoes of these characters, you learn how to be more empathetic. That is probably the core of the study and the reasoning why they did it. To read more, you can head on to this link below.

Source: The Guardian

9. A study revealed that eating spicy food at least once a week is linked to a longer lifespan.

Who here likes spicy food? A lot of people also hate it though. This is because some of them can’t tolerate it, thus having no benefits in their mind.

When you eat spicy food, you will probably sweat and have a faster heartbeat, this makes it both fun and an incredible experience for some. It almost acts like an exercise in this way.

As someone who likes to eat spicy food, whether this study will be proven true or false in the future, we will most likely still eat some, just because of the experience it provides. However, just like everything, too much of something is always bad.

To read more about the specifics of the study you can go to this link below.

Source: Harvard Health

10. A study found that people who drink black coffee are more likely to exhibit psychopathic traits.

Before this notion that people who drink black coffee are psychopathic was just a joke. But now there are some respectable sources for it.

Well, whether it can be true or false in the future, different people have different preferences in almost everything. That is why it is hard to find out if one thing is correlation or causation.

In our experience, drinking coffee is just like any other preference, some like it sweet and some don’t want any sugar in it. However, another thing is that preferences can change over time. Does this mean these people in the study are now not psychopaths if they change what they like?

Well, if you want to confirm for yourself, you can read about the specifics of these studies here in the article below.

Source: WellandGood

Author's Final Thoughts

We have compiled some very interesting studies and discoveries that can be proven true or false in the future. Just as with science and technology, the further we evolve and improve, the more changes in our beliefs could be challenged. So, do not be stuck in any of these findings, but we hope you enjoyed reading and thinking about these topics. If you like to find out more similar articles that will challenge your brain and beliefs, you can head on to this section of our site.

Disclaimer

No content on this site, regardless of when or who published it should act as a replacement for your Doctor’s advice, nor does it act as medical advice. The concepts in this article and others are for informational and entertainment purposes. To spark curiosity and start conversations.