Human behavior is a collection of complex psychological processes. Despite having substantial amounts of research and data in this realm, we are still unable to determine exact behavioral traits for everyone because each individual behaves differently, even in identical situations. While it may seem like a problematic thing, this is what makes human behavior interesting, and here are some interesting facts about it:
1. Afraid to be Happy?
Happiness is something that all humans desire, but some start fearing it because they believe that if they are too happy, then something terrible will happen to them. There is an actual term for this, and it is known as Cherophia, and the word Chero is Greek, which means to rejoice. Depending on the person, some may mildly be affected by it, while others may experience intense effects of it. For instance, some individuals end up feeling anxious at the thought of a joyful event and some even end up believing that they are a bad person if they are happy.
2. We are NOT meant to be Angry
Presently, the entire world believes that getting angry because of a person or a negative situation is justified, and it is only natural to be angry; however, studies suggest otherwise. Research conducted by Lt. Col. Dave Grossman revealed that humans only become violent if they are brought up under certain circumstances, and if they are constantly bombarded with negative thoughts. Additionally, it was observed that at any given time, a person is more likely to be empathetic.
3. Giving is Receiving
The general idea is that we must save money anytime we can; however, spending money is equally important for our mental wellbeing, especially if it is spent for others. A study conducted in 2008, under the name of “Spending Money on Others Promotes Happiness” shows that if we end up spending money on others or for others, it leads to overall positivity in our lives. In the study, two groups of participants were given a set amount of money. The first group was asked to spend money on themselves, while the second group was asked to spend it on others. Results showed that the second group was significantly joyful.
4. Bad Mouth is not so Bad
Although a person who swears without any regard for others may seem arrogant and negative, studies have revealed that people who curse are more likely to be honest. A 2017 study conducted by Gilad Feldman, Huiwen Lian, Michal Kosinski, and David Stillwell discussed the relationship between profanity and honesty. It was observed that different participants who didn’t try to speak clean were consistently more honest. Although it should be noted that swearing isn’t always linked to honesty, some people are just plain negative.
5. Source of Hate
Psychologists believe that hate is not always a result of negative thoughts towards someone. Instead, it is the result of negative thoughts directly to oneself, particularly self-loathing. It is observed that people who grew up in a violent family or experienced abuse in their childhood are most likely to project their hate onto others.
6. After Hate
Hate is one of the most exhausting psychological processes, as it not only requires anger, it needs a continuous supply of negative thoughts to keep it going. This is the reason why after hating, people end up breaking down and experiencing loneliness, regret, and even depression. An organization by the name “Life After Hate” was founded by a group of extremists to help people overcome the mentioned feelings, leave hate groups, and change their extremist mindsets.
7. Keep Your Goals a Secret
A study conducted by the New York University shows that if the person tends to keep their goal a secret, they are more likely to act on them. This is an interesting find, as previously, it was believed that announcing goals forces one to act on them. Psychologists claim that once we announce our goals, we prematurely think that it is halfway complete, resulting in us not acting on the goal.
8. Problems Problems Problems
Unsurprisingly, our brain is a great problem-solver, and it is programmed to solve problems one after another; however, with such programming, our brain also ends up seeing problems in every situation. Because of our years of evolution, we are hard-wired to take actions that result in our betterment, and this causes our brain to constantly find problems in every situation.
9. Sleepiness
Although there are various physiological and psychological reasons why a person feels excessively sleepy, it is observed that people who tend to sleep for long periods are more likely to crave sleep. Additionally, oversleeping causes an imbalance of our biological clock, leading to an abrupt sleeping pattern and a feeling of tiredness.
10. Changing Others or Yourself?
This one mostly applies to workplaces and schools. When the leader or teacher tries to correct one’s behavior, they can only achieve this by changing their own behavior, whether it be for a short or long duration; however, repetitively changing others’ behaviors leads to a permanent change in the corrector’s behavior.