Epistimi a Science Channel

Most of us desire something. This could be being accepted into our dream university, getting a new job, or winning the lottery. And we think that if we get what we want, we will become happier. But the truth is, our brains have other plans in mind.

What makes us connect with other people?  Oxytocin is a molecule that provides feelings of warmth, relaxation, and contentment when we participate in pro-social behaviors. Popularly termed as the “love hormone”, “cuddle hormone”, or “moral molecule,” this little hormone plays a big role in our connections with other people.

Why are some men so violent?

From genes to the environment around us, there are many factors that can push someone to develop aggressive behavior.

To understand how sex is determined, we first need to know what is the difference that makes males males and females females.

Do you know how thoughts affect your body? Whether it is surviving a potentially dangerous scenario, thinking that something will cure you, or having a particular mindset, our minds and thoughts produce physiological changes in our bodies that affect our health and performance.

Studies are reporting small particles of plastic are found in our poo, gut, lungs, and other organs. So there is no question on whether it is getting into our system. The question is, how is it affecting our health?

Have you ever questioned how the sense of touch works? Biologically speaking, what happens when something touches our skin? Here is a history of the most important scientific findings to understand the sense of touch!

A clinical trial of a new potential treatment for treating severe depression is reporting promising results. The method involves incorporating personalized brain stimulation to identify specific circuits in the patient’s brain to recognize when depression symptoms start and the regions involved to alleviate the symptoms.

Sources:

Research article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41591-021-01480-w

Article:https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2021/09/421541/treating-severe-depression-demand-brain-stimulation

Misophonia

Do sounds made by other people make you annoyed or angry?

People with Misophonia often have a strong negative response to human sounds, with many of the trigger sounds originating from facial activity, like chewing, crunching, breathing, joint cracking, nail clipping, and tapping.

There are now several brain scans studies reporting brain differences in people with Misophonia. These brain regions are linked with emotion processing, reflex-like negative reactions, high interoception, and even brain regions that may make people with misophonia feel like they are losing control of their bodies.

Sources:

Articles: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2021/may/24/research-reveals-why-some-find-the-sound-of-others-eating-so-irritating

https://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/news/north-east-news/why-people-hate-everyday-sounds-20671684

Research  articles:

The motor basis for Misophonia

https://www.jneurosci.org/content/41/26/5762

The brain basis for Misophonia

https://www.cell.com/current-biology/comments/S0960-9822(16)31530-5

Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbHgg0wR9rg

Have you ever wondered if there are personality traits that give an advantage in the dating market?

Research has shown that while individuals look for partners that match their personalities to some degree (assortative mating), they would also be willing to date someone with higher conscientiousness, agreeableness, and extraversion but lower levels of neuroticism.

And not only that, but extroverts have a higher advantage of dating someone due to their need for socializing more. In fact, this need or internal motivation can be observed by looking at the brain differences between introverts and extroverts.

Sources:

Science Direct research articles:

-Do certain personality traits provide a mating market competitive

advantage? Sex, offspring & the big 5.

-The ideal romantic partner personality

Psychology today:

How Your Personality Predicts Your Romantic Life