Psychology
Discover facts about psychology. Small discoveries that change the way you see familiar things.
Psychology
Mentally expanding the specific borders of a remembered scene
Drawing a picture of a previously seen photograph and naturally adding wide scenery that was never actually there. Your internal visual engine constantly…
Discover more
Why small problems suddenly feel catastrophic
Your mind loves to take a minor inconvenience, like a flat tire, and instantly map out a scenario where you end up homeless and ruined. It is a terrible…
Discover more
Why finishing a TV series can feel like mourning
Finishing a seven-season series in a week leaves a massive, gaping hole in your life. Consuming an entire fictional universe that quickly builds intense…
Discover more
Paul Rudd once auditioned to play Jack in Titanic
The immortal vampire known as Paul Rudd threw his hat into the ring for James Cameron's sinking boat epic. Strangely enough, Rudd actually had real-life…
Discover more
Why cold weather can trigger cuffing season
Your sudden desire to settle down in November is heavily influenced by your thermostat. Biological shifts tied to colder weather and less sunlight trigger a…
Discover more
Why falling in love can resemble OCD
Cupid is essentially just a severe neurochemical imbalance. During the early stages of romantic infatuation, the brain's serotonin levels plummet to the exact…
Discover more
STACKY FOR IPHONEA bigger world.
One discovery
at a time.
Keep discovering with Stacky. Interesting facts in an app that is always within reach.
Why being told to clean your room makes you resist
You were totally going to clean your room until someone explicitly told you to clean it. Reactance is an unpleasant motivational arousal that occurs when…
Discover more
Why looking away can make a needle hurt less
Ignorance is incredibly blissful at the doctor's office. Actively avoiding looking at a needle penetrating your skin blocks the brain from fully anticipating…
Discover more
When motion turns into freeze-frames
Imagine trying to pour a cup of coffee but only seeing static freeze-frames. A lesion in the visual cortex deletes the brain's ability to render fluid motion,…
Discover more
Why some highly intelligent people prefer fewer friends
Your lack of a social life might just be a testament to your genius. Evolutionary psychology suggests that individuals with exceptionally high IQs experience…
Discover more
Why eye-rolling can doom a relationship
Forget yelling; silent disgust is the real relationship killer. Psychologist John Gottman proved that contempt—often displayed as eye-rolling or sneering—is…
Discover more
Tens mostly date tens while fives stick with fives
Despite what romantic comedies violently insist, incredibly beautiful folks very rarely date completely average looking people. We instinctively seek out…
Discover more
Working continuously without breaks destroys your focus
Grinding through an eight-hour shift without pausing doesn't make you a hero; it makes you useless. Prolonged intense focus rapidly depletes your glucose…
Discover more
Why mild depression can make the world look more realistic
Depressive realism is the ultimate buzzkill. Normal, 'happy' people walk around insulated by intense optimism biases, believing they are more skilled and…
Discover more
Genealogy tourism is paying to find dead relatives
Instead of looking forward, some travelers spend exorbitant amounts of money to trace the exact footsteps of their deceased ancestors. It usually culminates…
Discover more
Can throwing away your worries reduce stress
Your brain is so hopelessly literal that physical symbolism works just as well as expensive therapy. The act of externalizing your anxiety onto a piece of…
Discover more
Thinking really hard does not physically alter reality
Your intense concentration is not sending mystical vibrations to alter the fabric of the universe. Magical thinking is a causal fallacy where individuals…
Discover more
Your mind may wander for half your waking day
You might think you are a present, engaged human being, but science says you are zoning out 30% to 50% of the day. Mind-wandering is your brain's default…
Discover more
Why opposing beliefs can actually feel painful
Welcome to why your uncle ruins Thanksgiving. Cognitive dissonance isn't just an abstract annoyance; it triggers the brain's anterior cingulate cortex, the…
Discover more
Why beautiful software gets away with crashing
If a piece of software is visually gorgeous, users will completely ignore the fact that it constantly crashes. We heavily associate beautiful design with high…
Discover more
Starving guests order entirely too much food
If you walk into a restaurant incredibly hungry, you will confidently order five appetizers, sincerely believing your stomach has quadrupled in size.…
Discover more
Was insomnia once useful at night
Staring at the ceiling at three in the morning used to be a highly valuable skill. Ancient tribes relied on staggered sleep patterns to ensure someone was…
Discover more
Why your decisions feel more logical afterward
Rationality is mostly a post-decision PR campaign. Bounded rationality dictates that we simply do not have the brainpower or time to weigh every variable. So,…
Discover more
Why you sound different in every room
You seamlessly adopt an entirely different vocabulary and tone depending on exactly who is listening. We cycle through various personas like changing channels…
Discover more