5 Scientific Facts About Spite That Are Sure to Surprise You

Did you know that the phrase “you’d cut off your nose to spite your face’ actually comes from a real incident? Back in medieval times, a nun cut off her nose (and lips) to try and make herself too horrific for Viking invaders to rape. The other nuns followed suit, and the painful plan worked – sort of. While they weren’t raped, they were eventually burned alive.

Okay, so that’s an extreme scenario, but what else do we know about spite? It’s defined as action deliberately designed to hurt someone, even when there’s nothing to gain and even though those actions might cause you to suffer as well. Sounds like a pretty terrible way to be, right?

Here are five more facts about spite and why it’s an aspect of human behavior.

#5. Science notes two specific types of spite.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Hamiltonian spite — named for biologist W.D. Hamilton — are actions directed against unrelated or loosely related individuals. Meanwhile, Wilsonian spite — named for biologist E.O. Wilson — is when your act of spite indirectly benefits someone you’re closely related to.

The latter might seem like the lesser of two evils, but really, they’re both based in bad behavior.

#4. Men tend to be more spiteful than women.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

The same study found that men showed higher levels of spite than women, but the results weren’t clear as to why. However, the press release speculates that men tend to score higher across the board when it comes to traits that predict psychopathy in general, so there’s that to consider.

#3. It could be a sign of psychopathy.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

One of the traits of a psychopath is Machiavellianism, which is the willingness to be duplicitous and disregard morality to achieve one’s own goals. In 2014, researchers at Washington State University subjected more than 1200 people to a personality test, and the results showed that high scores in spitefulness correlated with the presence of psychopathic behavior.

#2. It’s not that different from altruism.

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Some researchers call spite the “neglected ugly sister of altruism,” since both practices come at the cost of a person’s own happiness. The spite-r doesn’t necessarily care what happens to them because they’re not acting for personal gain and they’re not deterred by the prospect of personal loss.

This 2006 paper notes, “any social trait that is spiteful simultaneously qualifies as altruistic. In other words, any trait that reduces the fitness of less-related individuals necessarily increases that of related ones.”

#1. Children and the elderly are generally less spiteful.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

Kids resent unfairness from an early age, researchers pointed out. “So, if they divide up candy and they get more candy than the kids they’re playing against, they’re like ‘nope, neither of us is going to get anything.’”

A malicious or spiteful reaction isn’t natural to children — everyone wins or no one does — and the elderly tend to revert to the same code of ethics.

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September 18, 2018

Latest Skin Cancer Reports Will Have You Rethinking How Much Sunscreen You Use

Did you know that skin cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in the States? When you think about it, it makes sense: your skin is your largest organ, and it regenerates on a regular basis, which leaves more room for mutations. Still, people refuse to do their due diligence when it comes to sunscreen.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

According to the CDC and the American Cancer Society, melanoma rates have been on the rise for the past 30 years, with over 90,000 new cases being diagnosed this year. That’s crazy, cause people didn’t used to have sunscreen at all!

There are plenty of choices out there when it comes to sunscreens that protect against both the UVA and UVB rays that increase your risk of melanoma, and according to the American Academy of Dermatology, you should be using at least an ounce if you need to cover your entire body.

Photo Credit: CDC.gov

Oh, and here’s the real head’s up – you don’t only need it if you’re going to the pool or the beach. You should be slathering the stuff on your face, arms, legs, and any other body parts that are exposed to the sun on an everyday basis. Recommended products include zinc-oxide or titanium-dioxide and boast an SPF factor of no less than 30.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

People are more diligent than they used to be when it comes to sunscreen, but with the destabilization of the ozone layer, the sun’s rays have gotten stronger. So examine your regimen and find the kinks, people. Future you and your skin will thank you.

h/t: Scary Mommy

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September 18, 2018

Caution: Don’t Let People With Cold Sores Near Your Baby

Newborn babies have fragile immune systems, which is why it is so important for us to keep them safe.

Pregnant women get flu shots and tetanus-diptheria-pertussis shots. Partners and grandparents get them, too, and for those first three months, anyone with a runny nose and some common sense stays far away.

What you might not think about when considering whether to get near – kissing-level near, I mean – a newborn baby, though, is the herpes virus. Not the one that infects your nethers (though you should absolutely keep that away, too), but the one that manifests in cold sores on your mouth.

Photo Credit: Facebook

That’s why this viral post by new mom Lucy Kendall is getting so much attention – she almost lost her two-week-old son to a terrifying infection passed through a cold sore. She made this post on Facebook detailing what had happened, how they found out, and how baby Oliver was treated – along with the wonderful news that he has made a full recovery.

Photo Credit: Facebook

Some babies aren’t so lucky, and Lucy wants all of us to be aware of the dangers a simple cold sore can pose to a newborn. Statistics say that a third of infants who contract neonatal herpes will not survive, even with treatment, so it’s not something to take lightly.

The first signs are a high temperature and unwillingness to feed, followed by sores. If your baby is ever listless, hard to wake, or struggles to breathe you need to seek emergency help right away.

Photo Credit: Facebook

It’s important to be informed when a newborn is coming into your life, so make sure and heed this warning from a mom who has been there – but wishes she hadn’t been. Keep those sweet babies close and safe through flu season and beyond!

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September 18, 2018

Why It Seems Impossible to Only Buy One Item at Target, According to an Expert

If you shop at Target then you are well familiar with the experience of stopping by to pick up one or two things, only to make it to the checkout with a cart full of items. What did I need these dumbbells and spray cheese for? Who knows…but they were on sale!

Photo Credit: Flickr,Mike Mozart

Now, the experts interviewed by Refinery29 – including Tom Meyvis, a New York University marketing professor – are backing us up with some science.

According to Meyvis, the Target juju starts with the enticing layout.

“Stores have an idea about the path shoppers take. Walmart was once famous for doing things like putting Band-Aids next to fishing hooks and things like that. Something you don’t naturally associate, but once you see them there, it makes sense. So when people come in for something in one category, you can cross-sell, you can sell them something that compliments in the next product category by making sure they’re right next to each other.”

Photo Credit: Instagram,queenrebecca101

Basically, Target designs their stores to help you find – and buy – what you didn’t realize you actually needed when you came into the store. Or something. A fact that seems to be confirmed by Refinery29’s interview with Target’s VP of Store Design, Joe Perdew.

“We know that some guests want to grab a coffee at Starbucks and explore the aisles, so we’ve added features like dynamic product vignettes throughout the store that help guests envision how things will fit into their lives. …in Home, products are cross-merchandised and displayed in lifestyle settings, so guests can imagine what they’ll look like in their own homes.”

It’s the reason you don’t see just a chair. You see a chair with a cute throw pillow sitting next to an end table with a picture frame and a lamp that complements everything else perfectly.

The bottom line, though, is that the layout, design, and colors at Target are inviting – they make us happy, which makes us want to stay, and the longer we stay, the more things go into our cart. At least, that’s what Kentucky psychologist Dr. Kevin Chapman says.

“It’s really well lit at Target, right? There’s a lot of color at Target. It’s pretty consistent throughout the store and generally that’s going to make people feel happier.”

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

No one loves forking over their cash, but the experts seem to agree that all of the store’s design and marketing makes it hard for us to resist doing just that, and to feel good while we do it. I’m not sure whether that’s supposed to make me feel better or worse, but one thing’s for sure – heading to Target seems to be a recipe for a happy day.

Photo Credit: Twitter

Always a disappointment.

#1. I may never eat an egg again.

Photo Credit: Reddit

The white part. *gag*

h/t: Buzzfeed

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September 18, 2018

10+ Posts That Prove Parrots Are Devious Little Devils

Parrots are the class clowns of the animal kingdom. When they make an appearance in movies or TV, they’ll often say something funny and/or inappropriate at exactly the right moment, winning laughs for itself and its poor, hapless human victim at the same time.

But parrots don’t just have comedic prowess — they’re also bird brainiacs. According to a study on African grey parrots, some birds can engage in simple conversation and learn up to 2,000 different words.

So when they do something funny, they might have done it on purpose, rather than simply coincidentally.

If you have yet to encounter a parrot in your lifetime, well, let these 11 people prove to you why you’ve really been missing out.

#11. Loki lives up to his name.

Image Credit: Facebook

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September 18, 2018

This Online Museum Is Preserving Sounds for Future Generations

Conserve the Sound is not your average museum. It describes itself as “an online museum for vanishing and endangered sound” and it’s exactly what the world could use right now. Daniel Chun and Jan Derksen are the brains behind the operation, and they’re committed to preserving sounds that are vanishing from our everyday lives.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Conserve the sound

Some examples include a rotary phone, typewriter keys, and the buzzing sound of a vintage intercom.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Conserve the sound

Remember the vintage viewfinders you used to play with as kids? That sound is cataloged by Conserve the Sound as well.

Photo Credit: Facebook,The Address Real Estate

Be sure to browse through the online museum’s website. I guarantee there’s something on there to make everyone feel like an old timer. What a great idea!

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September 17, 2018

Top Beer Producer to Eliminate Plastic Rings and Glue Its Six-Packs Together

It’s no secret that the plastic rings that hold our beloved six-packs together are horrible for the environment. They end up in oceans and animals become caught in them and starve to death. I’ve even seen photos of turtles who got stuck in them and the plastic totally changed their shapes. Overall, it’s an environmental disaster. And you know that quite a few people aren’t taking the time to cut up the rings before putting them in the trash.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Commons

But there’s good news from a top beer producer. Carlsberg, based in Denmark, has taken a bold step forward and come up with a glued six-pack design called the Snap Pack. This allows the six-packs to stay together without any extra plastic by using dots of glue.

Photo Credit: Facebook,All Breaking News

Image Credit: Public Domain

They’re basically Helen Hunt in Twister, except they fly specially outfitted airplanes into the middle of storms to measure wind speeds and other meteorological data. They also drop sensors called dropsondes inside storms to read their activity.

3. The name of a particularly bad storm is usually retired.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

There’s no use tempting fate, I suppose, which is why the names of the most destructive and deadly hurricanes are taken out of circulation. Since hurricane names first started being recorded back in 1954, more than 80 names have been retired. For example, Matthew and Otto were retired after the 2016 hurricane season, and will be replaced by Martin and Owen the next time their letters roll around.

And, in case you were wondering, yes, Katrina, Sandy, Harvey, Irma, and Maria have all also been retired.

2. The eye is warm.

Image Credit: Pixabay

This might not surprise you considering it’s a tropical storm, but since the eye is formed by air rushing down from the atmosphere to replace low pressure that’s being sucked away from the surface, the temperatures in the eye exceed 80 degrees Fahrenheit even thousands of feet above the Earth’s surface.

1. California has different problems.

Image Credit: Pixabay

It seems a little weird that a state with hundreds of miles of coastline rarely deals with hurricane threats. While they certainly have their own issues with earthquakes and fires, to be sure, the colder temperatures of the Pacific ocean make hurricanes more unlikely. The worst one in history hit San Diego in 1858 and was only a category 1.

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September 17, 2018

Waffle House Can Help You Measure the Severity of a Natural Disaster

Over the course of the Hurricane Florence news coverage, the term “Waffle House Index” has been used quite a few times. The chain restaurant is so prevalent across the country, and their locations are open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, so FEMA uses it as a barometer to see how bad a storm is affecting an area.

Photo Credit: Facebook,Waffle House

Former FEMA administrator Craig Fugate said, “If a Waffle House is closed because there’s a disaster, it’s bad. We call it red. If they’re open but have a limited menu, that’s yellow … If they’re green, we’re good, keep going. You haven’t found the bad stuff yet.”

Photo Credit: Flickr,mikeporterinmd

If a Waffle House location is having trouble getting supplies, then FEMA knows transportation has been slowed down because of a storm. If only some of the menu items are available, there might have some utilities and not others. If a Waffle House restaurant shuts down and locks its doors, FEMA knows that the weather is really, really bad because many of them will stay open even in the worst weather to help first responders.

Photo Credit: Pixabay

What a brilliant concept. So remember, if you live near a Waffle House and you’re having a storm, see what’s going on there to get a good idea of how bad the weather might get.

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