Every year thousands of studies are published in different scientific journals, some of them really curious . The truth is that psychology is a science that tries to explain the behavior of individuals and the functioning of the mind and brain, and there are answers to these questions that can be strange.

Sometimes we ask ourselves the question: “Why do people act this way?” And, however much we think about it, there are behaviors that do not seem to have a simple explanation. So it’s not surprising that science comes up with conclusions that may seem surprising to us.

It is clear that the studies need to be replicated so that we can ensure the reliability of their conclusions. Even so, some of the results of the research carried out in recent years are striking.

The 10 Most Curious Studies in Psychology

In today’s article, I have set out to compile a list of the 10 most curious studies on psychology. If you want to know more about these researches, just click on the title of each point and the link will take you directly to another post so you can know more about it.

1. Cats dominate their owners

Those of you who have cats at home may identify with this investigation. According to a study carried out by the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom (2009), cats have developed an ability to dominate their owners: a characteristic purring . The research was published in the journal Current Biology and the study was led by Karen McComb, a behavioural ecologist who decided to test her theory because she was usually awakened by her cat’s calls.

The author states that domestic cats employ a solicitation purr, which is a characteristic meow that has a higher frequency than the usual purr. The felines only use it when they want something, and it provokes in their owners a paternal instinct similar to the one of the parents with the babies. Apparently, the solicitation purr is more acceptable for humans than a meow, which usually provokes a rejection response.

2. The 10 songs that make us feel best

There are many studies that provide scientific evidence on the benefits of music , for example, that mitigates pain, optimizes performance or predisposes us to love. In fact, music is used as a form of therapy, which is known as Music Therapy. That is why Dr. Jacob Jolij from the University of Groningen (Netherlands) recently revealed the top 10 songs from the last 50 years that make us feel happier and have a positive effect on our mood almost instantly.

The author of the research claims to have found a mathematical equation through which we can determine which musical themes influence our mood to a greater or lesser extent. It is the following:

The formula evaluates the song that makes us feel good (FGI) according to its lyrics (L), its tempo in beats per minute (BPM) and its key (K).

After analyzing the results of the study, the author concluded that these are the 10 musical themes that positively affect our behavior and make us feel better:

1. Don’t Stop Me Now (Queen)

2.Dancing Queen (Abba)

3. Good Vibrations (The Beach Boys)

4.Uptown Girl (Billy Joel)

5.Eye of the Tiger (Survivor)

6.I’m a Believer (The Monkeys)

7.Girls Just Wanna Have Fun (Cyndi Lauper)

8.Livin’ on a Prayer (Jon Bon Jovi)

9.I Will Survive (Gloria Gaynor)

10.Walking on Sunshine (Katrina & The Waves)

3. Men with beards are more attractive and flirt more

Science has spoken, and this time it concludes that guys with beards are more successful than guys who don’t grow facial hair. According to Barnaby Dixon and Bob Brooks, authors of an experiment that was conducted at South Wales University and published in Evolution & Human Behavior, “The two-week beard has a seductive effect on men, making them much more attractive to women.

It seems that this is because boys with shaved faces have fewer attributes associated with masculinity and are more docile, according to another study conducted at Northumbria University and published in Personality and Individual Differences.

4. Quitting Facebook makes you happier

In just under ten years, Facebook has become part of our daily lives . Such is the impact it has had on society that psychologists have been warning for some time about the problems that social networks (and new technology) can cause if they do not educate young people in their correct use. Fomo Syndrome, Nomophobia or Technostress are some of the pathologies associated with the new environment in which we live.

It is important to educate young people in this regard because Facebook can have a negative effect on identity formation, as well as cause serious self-esteem problems. In fact, facebook can make us unhappy as a study carried out by the Happiness Reasearch Insitute in Denmark states.

5. The 10 most unfaithful countries in the world

Although infidelity is considered the greatest betrayal in a relationship, millions of people in the world are and have been unfaithful. That’s despite the fact that many individuals think adultery is considered an exception and is exclusive to bad people, those who are heartless.

According to a survey on the website “The Richest”, there are more infidelities than many people imagine . In addition, the website revealed the 10 most unfaithful countries in the world. Here is the order:

  1. Thailand
  2. Denmark
  3. Italy
  4. Germany
  5. France
  6. Norway
  7. Belgium
  8. Spain
  9. United Kingdom
  10. Finland

6. Smart people masturbate more

Intelligence has been studied many times, for example, to find out what are the characteristic features of smart people or what music smart people listen to. However, few studies are as curious as the one carried out by the National School of Health and Sexual Behaviour directed by sexologist Debby Herbenick, who states that people with a higher academic level tend to masturbate more .

7. What music do intelligent people listen to?

As we have seen, the most intelligent people practice onanism more often in their free time, but what music do they listen to when they are not busy? Well, that’s what Virgil Griffith, an application developer, set out to find out. The results of his research were collected in the dossier “Music That Makes You Dumb”.

The conclusions show that young students with lower grades were listening to genres such as Hip Hop and Reggaeton . On the other hand, students with higher grades listened to Ludwig Van Beethoven and different music bands such as U2, Counting Crows, The Shins or Radiohead.

8. Women over 28 do not attract men

There is a popular belief that men get better with age. But what about women? Although the results are debatable, a group of Finnish researchers from Ã…bo Akademi University who conducted a study of 12,000 male subjects between the ages of 25 and 40, concluded that women from the age of 28 are no longer sexually interested in men .

The study was published in a Russian media called Spbdnevnik , and its results have created controversy. However, it has always been said that men like younger women. Is this true?

9. Research uncovers a trick that motivates people to change

Changing is not easy because it forces us out of the comfort zone. In fact, many people turn to change professionals, such as a coach, in order to carry out this action. There are theories for change that are very effective (for example, the Prochaska and DiClemente Trans-theoretical Model of Change), but one study states that change is easier than it seems.

The study, published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology, explains that “yes” or “no” questions on paper or computer are a powerful weapon for change because they don’t explain why things are being done wrong. This would cause cognitive dissonance, and the discomfort would be enough to effect change. Science will have to continue to investigate whether the conclusions of this controversial study are true.

10. Smart women are used to being single

We live in a society that pushes us towards marriage, although more and more people see singleness as something positive. Although there is not much research on this subject, there may be a relationship between singleness and intelligence , as Bertrand Regader states in one of his last articles.

There is a hypothesis that smarter women are more demanding and therefore tend to stay single. But research conducted by John Carney that was published in the Daily Mail under the title “Why Smart Men Choose Less Smart Women”, states that men tend to seek out less intelligent women to have a relationship with. For that reason, smart women tend to stay single.