French poet Paul Valéry once remarked that the goal of psychology is to provide us with a fresh perspective on the things we are most familiar with. This includes understanding why certain things disgust us, why time seems to drag when we’re bored, and why boredom exists in the first place. This week, let’s explore some intriguing questions, such as why some animals consume their own feces.
In 1872, Charles Darwin described disgust as a reaction to unpleasant foods. Today, researchers have broadened this definition to include various stimuli that provoke a revulsion response, such as dirtiness, contamination, or potential disease. Here are a few examples from the disgust scale used in psychological studies:
We have evolved to avoid disgusting things because it helps us stay healthy. The insular cortex, a specific area in the brain, activates physiological responses like nausea and stomach uneasiness when we encounter something gross.
Some animals, such as flies and dung beetles, eat the feces of larger animals because it contains partially digested food. Rabbits reconsume their feces to extract more nutrients, and birds might do the same if they have a dietary deficiency. Birds may also eat the feces of their young to keep their nests clean and deter predators. Pet birds might eat their feces out of boredom.
Time perception can vary based on our emotional state and level of stimulation. When we are bored, a lack of stimulation affects our dopamine and attentional systems, which are essential for brain plasticity. We seek stimulation to help our brains form new connections, learn, and stay motivated. People with fewer dopamine receptors may need more stimulation to feel satisfied.
In previous discussions, I’ve mentioned how time can feel different depending on the situation. For instance, time seems to fly when you’re close to leveling up in a game but slows down before a significant moment like a first kiss. While physical time remains constant, our perception of it can change based on factors like age, emotions, body temperature, and object movement. When bored, the absence of stimulation can make time feel like it’s dragging.
Thank you for the compliment! I purchased it at a flea market, but someone found a similar version on Etsy, so you can find one there too.
All bodily fluids, including blood, sweat, and tears, contain some salt. Each teardrop has about 2 or 3 grains of salt, which acts as an antiseptic to prevent infection. Emotional tears, which differ from those caused by irritants like onions, contain more protein-based hormones. Interestingly, you can even buy salt made from human tears.
I’ve always been fascinated by human behavior—why we experience certain emotions, how we communicate, and why we act in specific ways. I started BrainCraft to engage with more people about brain-related topics and share my passion for science. I’ve learned a lot along the way! This is my 50th episode, so thank you for joining me on this journey.
It’s an Australian accent. I film by myself, so Hugh here helps me stay focused.
Conduct a small experiment by creating your own disgust scale. Choose a variety of stimuli, such as images or descriptions, and rate them on a scale from 1 to 5 based on how disgusting you find them. Share your results with classmates and discuss any patterns or differences in perception.
Keep a journal for a week, noting activities that make time feel like it’s moving quickly or slowly. Reflect on your emotional state and level of engagement during these activities. At the end of the week, analyze your entries to identify any trends or insights about your personal time perception.
Choose an animal that exhibits unusual feeding behaviors, such as eating feces, and research the evolutionary and nutritional reasons behind this behavior. Present your findings in a short presentation or paper, highlighting how these behaviors contribute to the animal’s survival.
Investigate the composition and purpose of emotional tears compared to reflex tears. Conduct a literature review on the topic and discuss your findings in a group. Consider the biological and psychological reasons for the differences in tear composition.
Explore careers in psychology and neuroscience by interviewing a professional in the field or researching various career paths. Write a reflection on what you learned and how it aligns with your interests and goals. Share your insights with classmates to broaden everyone’s understanding of potential career opportunities.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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French poet Paul Valéry once said, “the purpose of psychology is to give us a completely different idea of the things we know best.” This includes understanding why we find certain things disgusting, why time seems to pass slower when we’re bored, and why we feel bored at all. This week, I’m going to answer some of your questions, including why some animals eat their own feces.
Why does your stomach hurt when you see something gross? Back in 1872, Darwin originally defined disgust as the revulsion response to unappetizing foods. More recently, researchers have expanded this definition to include a range of stimuli that elicit a revulsion response, such as uncleanliness, contamination, or the potential for disease. For example, here are some items on the disgust scale used in psychological testing. You can decide how gross they are:
– Walking barefoot on concrete and stepping on an earthworm.
– Seeing someone accidentally stick a fishing hook through their finger.
– Observing a person with exposed intestines after an accident.
We have an evolutionary bias against gross things because avoiding them helps us stay healthy. The activation of a specific brain area, the insular cortex, has been shown to trigger physiological responses like nausea and a feeling of uneasiness in the stomach.
Why do birds eat their own feces? Some animals, like flies and dung beetles, consume the feces of larger animals because it contains a lot of semi-digested food. Rabbits reingest their own feces to extract nutrients, and birds may do the same if they are experiencing a dietary deficiency. Some birds eat the feces of their young to keep their nests clean and deter predators. Alternatively, if they are pet birds, they may eat their feces out of boredom.
Why does time seem to pass faster when we are having fun but slower when we are bored? Why do we experience boredom at all? It has been suggested that having too little stimulation undermines our dopamine and attentional systems, which are crucial for maintaining brain plasticity. We crave stimulation so our brains can form new connections, learn more, and stay motivated. People with fewer dopamine receptors may require more stimulation to feel content.
I discussed our altered perception of time in one of my earlier episodes. Sometimes time seems to fly, like when you’re close to reaching the next level in a game. Other times, it slows down, such as in the moment before your first kiss. The rate at which objective, physical time passes is always constant unless you are moving at a fraction of the speed of light. However, it certainly doesn’t feel that way. Your perceived duration of events can change based on your age, emotional state, body temperature, and the movement of objects. When you’re bored, the lack of stimulation likely causes time to drag on.
As for everything related to boredom, there’s always Vsauce.
Where did you buy your necklace? It’s awesome! Thank you for the kind comments! I bought it from a flea market, but someone has kindly found a similar version on Etsy, so there’s no need to worry.
Why are tears salty? All of the fluids in your body, like blood, sweat, and tears, have a bit of salt in them. Each teardrop contains roughly 2 or 3 grains of salt, which acts as an antiseptic to prevent infection. However, our tears contain more than just water and salt. Research has found that emotional tears, which differ from tears caused by cutting onions, contain more protein-based hormones. You can even buy salt made from human tears.
Why did you decide to study psychology and neuroscience, and what prompted you to start the BrainCraft channel? I have always been interested in people and behavior—why we have certain emotional states, how we communicate, and why we act the way we do. I started BrainCraft to engage with more people about brain-related topics and share my love of science with you. I’ve learned so much along the way! This is actually my 50th episode, so thank you for learning with me.
What kind of accent do you have? It’s Australian. I film by myself, so Hugh here helps me focus.
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This version maintains the original content while removing any informal language or unnecessary exclamations.
Psychology – The scientific study of the human mind and its functions, especially those affecting behavior in a given context. – Example sentence: In her psychology class, Maria learned about the different theories of personality development.
Disgust – A strong feeling of aversion or repulsion towards something unpleasant or offensive. – Example sentence: The study explored how disgust can influence moral judgments and decision-making processes.
Emotions – Complex psychological states that involve subjective experiences, physiological responses, and behavioral expressions. – Example sentence: Researchers are investigating how emotions can impact cognitive processes such as memory and attention.
Stimulation – The action of arousing interest or activity in the brain or body, often through sensory input. – Example sentence: Sensory stimulation is crucial for cognitive development in infants and young children.
Perception – The process by which individuals organize and interpret sensory information to give meaning to their environment. – Example sentence: Visual perception can be influenced by context, leading to optical illusions.
Behavior – The actions or reactions of an organism, often in response to external stimuli or internal states. – Example sentence: Behavioral psychology focuses on understanding how environmental factors shape behavior.
Dopamine – A neurotransmitter that plays a key role in reward, motivation, and the regulation of mood. – Example sentence: The release of dopamine in the brain is associated with feelings of pleasure and satisfaction.
Boredom – A state of weariness and restlessness resulting from a lack of interest or engagement. – Example sentence: Chronic boredom can lead to negative outcomes such as decreased motivation and increased risk-taking behavior.
Nutrients – Substances obtained from food that are essential for growth, maintenance, and functioning of the body. – Example sentence: Adequate intake of nutrients is vital for maintaining cognitive health and preventing mental decline.
Evolution – The process by which different kinds of living organisms develop and diversify from earlier forms over generations. – Example sentence: Evolutionary psychology seeks to understand how evolutionary processes have shaped human behavior and mental processes.
