What are 5 interesting facts about psychology

In February, we celebrate Psychology Month to underscore the significance of psychology in aiding individuals and communities. Psychology delves into understanding the reasons behind human behaviour, offering valuable applications like enhancing decision-making, stress management, and overall effectiveness in living. Alongside practical tools such as various therapies, psychology unveils intriguing facts through research. Here are five favourites:

   1. Dopamine addiction drives you to constantly seek information.

Have you ever found yourself endlessly scrolling through your social media feed? It's all linked to the dopamine-seeking reward loop. When you're on your phone, you're stimulating dopamine. Dopamine, known as the pleasure chemical, drives you to seek enjoyable activities like food, sex, and drugs. But it also fuels curiosity and the desire for information. So, as you browse your feed, your dopamine loop activates, compelling you to keep scrolling for more. The unsettling part? You may never feel satisfied with the information you find and continue scrolling until something interrupts you.

     2. Being in love is biologically equivalent to experiencing a severe obsessive-compulsive disorder.

"It's often said that when you're in love, you're a little bit crazy. That may be true," said Donatella Marazziti, who discovered this fact. The initial stages of love often resemble an obsession, prompting speculation about their potential neurochemical similarities. Neuroscientists have associated the serotonin transporter 5-HT with both neuroticism, sexual behavior, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). A study compared 20 individuals who had recently fallen in love with unmedicated OCD patients, revealing that both groups had significantly lower densities of the 5-HT transporter. Consequently, the brain processes love and obsession in similar ways.

     3. In just a few hours, you can be persuaded into believing that you committed a crime that never actually occurred.

Evidence from wrongful conviction cases spurred the development of this study. It entailed interviewing adult suspects in a congenial setting and employing ineffective memory retrieval methods. Within three hours, the suspects were interrogated in manners that induced them to believe and admit to crimes they had not committed. Some could vividly describe the events and even believed they had committed serious offenses, such as assault with a weapon, during their teenage years. Do you believe you could be persuaded similarly?

     4. There are genes that dictate whether you are naturally inclined to be an early riser or a night owl.

Your predisposition to being more active during the day or night is genetically determined, governed by a trait called chronotype. Researchers made this discovery by tracking 85,000 individuals using wristbands. They also observed that morning people tend to wake up around half an hour earlier than night owls, providing scientific insight into why some people prefer to sleep in every morning!

     5. Prolonged periods of solitude can be as detrimental to your health as smoking.

Loneliness indeed has profound effects on both mental and physical health. It's alarming to realize that it can increase the risk of premature death by such a significant margin. Taking steps to combat loneliness, such as seeking out social connections, joining clubs or groups, or even just reaching out to friends and family, can make a big difference in one's overall well-being. Thanks for sharing this important insight!