Curious

The Brain Boosting Reasons You Should Play Sports

Movies and TV series love to play upon the classic trope of the “dumb jock.” Nevertheless, playing sports actually provides more benefits for your body than physical improvements. It also helps to make you mentally fitter and happier. The following are the brain boosting benefits (and reasons) you should be playing a sport!

woman and man biking and smiling enjoying sports.

Playing Sports Improves Your Concentration

Playing sports helps to keep you mentally fit as we grow older. In particular, including a mix of aerobic and strength training into your weekly routine has been proven to increase one’s critical thinking and learning skills. Just thirty minutes of physical activity several times a week is enough to improve your concentration!

man playing baseball, batting and focused.

Boosts Your Mood

The most widely known mental benefit of physical activity is that it can boost your mood. When we are active, the chemical endorphin is released from the brain, which helps to make us feel happier and more positive. Team sports additionally provide a social advantage, so you can make new friends and connect with others.

woman and man smiling holding a soccer ball.

Playing Sports Fights Off Stress

Just as physical activity helps the brain to release mood-boosting chemicals, it also helps to decrease the stress hormones in our body. Additionally, playing sports can help to take our minds off of the daily stressors and problems in our lives, so we don’t feel so clouded by negative energy and thoughts. This in turn helps people to be more relaxed, and possibly reduce the chances of depression.

man and women playing tennis, clearly happy.

Increase Your Self-Esteem

Trying out a new sport or activity can be nerve-wracking. We often lack confidence if we are unsure how to do new skills. However, with regular practice, you are bound to improve your skills, strength, and self-esteem. Playing on a team also helps to create group dynamics that encourage support and reliance, meaning your confidence shoots up. This esteem-boost has been shown have an impact outside the gym as well, by improving how we view ourselves in our everyday lives. Who knew that hitting the basketball court a few days a week could end up helping you with that new promotion!

Man going up to shoot a basketball, one of the sports requiring lots of skills to help increase your esteem.

Photos: Pixabay, Freepik

“Atomik”: a new vodka born in Chernobyl

The Chernobyl disaster left behind many consequences for society. The “exclusion area” was formed, which was the territory surrounding the nuclear power station where radiation levels were too high. For this reason, food cultivated around this area is not consumable. But is seems not to be a problem for “Atomik“, the new vodka brand created with ingredients from Chernobyl.

Radioactive territory

The brand claims to have cultivated the ingredients in said exclusion area. And opposite to what you would believe, its creators affirm it’s not any more radioactive than any other vodka brand.

Apparently, the distillation process which the ingredients take part in allows the beverage to be drinkable. The company claims that this process removes all sorts of impurities and every other undesirable thing it could contain. Which, according to them, includes radiation.

The bigger story

“Atomik” has been born as a product from an investigation that has been ongoing for the last three years. Its objective is determining the effects radiation has on agriculture. Because of this, a group of scientists from Ukraine and the UK have carried out several tests with different crops.

The vodka brand appeared as an initiative to support the project, as well as the indigenous population. These people will receive 75% of the income the project will raise. However, for the time being, that number still remains very low, as the beverage hasn’t even been commercialized yet.

People are unsure

What “The Chernobyl Spirit Company” wants is launch this alcoholic drink as soon as possible. Thus proving that certain places in this “exclusion area” are, in fact, available for crop cultivation.

Nevertheless, however much we might like their good intentions, there’s always going to be a portion of the market that will remain unsure of the effects the beverage might have. Chernobyl is still a name that most of us would rather not say out loud. Unless, of course, we’re talking about the HBO series.

Images: Atomik and Unsplash

5 Reasons You Should Be Reading Daily

Reading traditional print books seems to be the form of entertainment that is dying off with the social media age. Nevertheless, enjoying a good book every day can actually provide many benefits on an intellectual, emotional and social level. By adding even just a few minutes of reading each day, you will reap some of these results!

Reading Increases Your Intelligence

a child reading while wearing adult work clothes.

A study published in 2014 found that people who learned strong reading skills from a young age were more likely to grow up to be intelligent as adults. The study investigated 1,890 sets of identical twins, and reading was the factor that appeared to most influence which twin would score better in verbal and reasoning tests. This concludes that children should be exposed to and taught how to read at a young age in order to reap the benefits for the rest of their adult life.

Reading Reduces Stress

a woman reading, relaxed holding a cup of coffee.

After a long day at work, you might be feeling very pressed and negative. A good way to unwind is by reading for half an hour. One study found this helped individuals reduce stress as well as completing 30 minutes of meditation or yoga.

Improve Your Sleep At Night

How many of us are guilty of scrolling through our phones and social media feeds right before bed? (Answer: almost all of us). That said, the light from our phone screens can keep our brains wired into the night, preventing us from being able to fall asleep. Picking up a physical book (not electronic) before bed allows us to both avoid the blue light and helps us relax into a better sleep.

Literary Fiction Enhances Your Empathy

students and friends all with books and smiling together.

Reading fiction literature has been shown to enhance readers’ ability to empathize with others. The thinking behind the results of a 2013 study was that fiction is written to make readers be able to step outside of their own world to relating to fictitious characters. These skills then transfer into the real world, where fiction readers can better understand how others are thinking and feeling.

Reading Strengthens Family Bonds

Although we typically think of reading as a solitary activity, it can also be a perfect bonding experience for parents with their children. Specifically, reading print books (not e-books) with children creates more meaningful conversations and connections among family members. It also has the advantage of encouraging children to read from a young age to gain a love for books to last a lifetime.

Photos: Freepik

A town full of women offers reward for having a son

Miejsce Odrzańskie is the name of the town we are talking about. It’s located in the South of Poland, right next to the frontier of the Czech Republic. It doesn’t have many inhabitants, less than 300, to be precise. Which is not necessarily unusual. What’s odd about this town is that the majority of the citizens are women.

Miejsce Odrzańskie the town full of women

The last male was born 12 years ago

The last male was born not more and not less than 12 years ago. Citizens claim this strange phenomenon has been going on for over decades. No male children seem to be born in this town anymore.

Investigating the case…

The town aimed to discover what exactly was causing these occurrences, and so they decided to start digging. They analyzed all of their birth certificates, but didn’t really find anything other than the reality of the case. The majority of the children who were born there were simply female.

How could they determine the cause?

The problem with such cases is that there are so many factors that can alter results that it’s almost impossible to determine what it could be. You have to look into history and statistics. Take a look at the relation the parents have amongst each other. Interview both the parents and the children. Take the environmental factors into account. Only then would they be able to determine what causes might exist behind this odd phenomenon.

An “attractive reward”

Until the town finds out the exact cause of the high number of female births, the mayor has decided to offer a reward to anyone who can provide them with the first male child. It might not encourage parents, as they can’t exactly control who they give birth to.

However, it’s more of a “thank you” for those who are able to. The mayor has not confirmed what exactly the reward will be, but he has stated it will be, in fact, an “attractive reward”.

Images: Unsplash and Wikipedia

Hidden Fees To Avoid When Planning A Vacation

Most people look forward to taking time off and going on a much-deserved vacation during the summer months. However, when making bookings for different hotels, flights, and rentals, you might be shocked to see the price you wind up paying is nothing close to the original price you saw advertised. You can blame the many companies that add on hidden fees to take advantage of travelers. As a measure to save money for your next vacation, we have compiled this list of hidden fees to avoid.

Flight Reservation Fees Via Phone

woman at a laptop making a phone reservation, which can have hidden fees.

If you are curious about booking a certain flight, or need some clarifications about baggage fees, the natural solution is to call the airline to get an answer. However, you are likely to spend many minutes, even hours on hold just to get in contact with a live representative, who then will require a surcharge for booking via phone. This is why prices you might see online are different from the ones you book if you call the company. If a clarification with a representative is vital, it is best to make the call and then book yourself afterwards online.

Spiked Toll Fees Using A Rental Car

handing over car keys for a rental, which has hidden fees.

For those who are used to having an E-Z pass or other automated toll payer in their car, one might expect that rental car company toll payers work the same way. Drive through a toll and voila! The toll fee is automatically charged to your credit card. Wrong. Many rental car companies actually charge you both the toll price, PLUS an extra charge for passing a toll booth, up to 15$! That is a startling amount that can add up over the course of a road trip. To avoid the hidden fees, either drive on roads without tolls, or come prepared with your own cash to pay manually at the tolls.

Hidden Hotel Resort Fees

A woman holding a suitcase inside a hotel room.

Excited because you found an AMAZING price for a hotel at your next vacation spot? Make sure to go through the site and see what the final price is for the hotel room. Many resorts will actually charge you to use some basic amenities, even wifi and towels! While it is fairly standard for hotels will to tack on some fees, make sure to compare final prices before making the booking. And last but not least, remember to never eat or drink the items in the fridge, the hotels will charge you a TON!

Photos: Freepik

Six Unusual Animal Facts You Never Knew

We all have our own hidden talent or habits, so why would it be any different with animals? With over 8.7 million species living on planet earth, it seems only natural that some have their own special body compositions and unique quirks (so we recommend you know how to act around them). We guarantee you never knew some of these unusual animal facts!

A Grizzly Bear’s Powerful Jaw

We know better than to mess with a giant grizzly bear in the wild, but this fact might make you even leerier of even getting close to the animal. Turns out, a grizzly bear’s bite is strong enough to break a bowling ball!

A Food-Fueled Flamingo’s Coat

two pink flamingos in front of white flamingos

For those that have never seen a flamingo in the wild, typically one pictures the animal as a bright pink. In reality, flamingos are white! The reason they appear pink is due to their diet. A flamingo’s coat will change to a pink hue if they eat large amounts of brine shrimp and algae.

The Feline Form Of Communication

a cat meowing, the way the animal communicates with humans.

Everyone from a young age learns that cats say “meow,” and yet… meowing isn’t actually a cat’s way of communicating with one another! Scientists have concluded that meowing is in reality just a cat’s way of getting human attention, nothing more.

The Not-So-Mighty Cry Of A Bald Eagle

Typically we associate bald eagles with power, strength, and a piercing cry. However, the national symbol of America really has a pipsqueak voice, that sounds more like yips. The sound is so meek and mild, that Hollywood producers actually dub the voice of bald eagles in movies with the sound of a red tailed hawk.

A Criminally Confusing Koala

The cute animal koala clinging to a tree

The cute and fuzzy koalas from Australia actually have fingerprint formations that are almost identical to that of a human. As a result, koala fingerprints have sometimes been accidentally confused for a human’s at crime scenes of various criminal investigations.

A Snail Snooze Fest

a snail out of its shell, a slimy animal.

Snails are slimy by nature and will die if they dry out and are exposed to too much heat. As a result, snails have developed hibernation tactics for when they detect the air is dry. They burrow underground or curl in their shells and sleep– sometimes up to three years! Talk about a real power napper!

Photos: Pixabay, Unsplash