The 10 mysteries of human behaviour that science can't explain

Scientists have split the atom, put men on the moon and discovered the DNA of which we are made, but there are 10 key mysteries of human behaviour which they have failed to fully explain.

The New Scientist magazine compiled a list of the everyday aspects of life which continue to confound the world's greatest brains, including the reasons behind kissing, blushing and even picking your nose.

An editorial in the publication said: "There is nothing more fascinating to most of us than ourselves. ~from source

I find stuff like this really interesting,were do all these little quirks we as humanity share come from?Why do we turn red when we lie?hope some of you find this as interesting as i did.


Link~www.telegraph.co.uk...


Regards to all

Honestly that article wasn't impressive.

superstition- because people are gullible and believe things.

picking your nose - Boogers block airflow and can be uncomfortable and unsightly.

altruism - some people are generous. Primates actually share food and tools, so this isn't just human.

Art- humans like to look at pretty and unique things. Primates also paint in captivity.

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
Honestly that article wasn't impressive.

superstition- because people are gullible and believe things.

picking your nose - Boogers block airflow and can be uncomfortable and unsightly.

altruism - some people are generous. Primates actually share food and tools, so this isn't just human.

Art- humans like to look at pretty and unique things. Primates also paint in captivity.

Nice arguments there


Regards to all

Originally posted by mnmcandiez
Honestly that article wasn't impressive.

Ah, come on...this stuff is cool.

I will admit it was too brief and only touched on the topics.

Originally posted by mnmcandiez

superstition- because people are gullible and believe things.

Actually superstition seems to me like it is used as a coping strategy.

I'm sure the blushing one was solved just recently. When you tell a lie, your heart skips a beat and causes a little change in blood pressure, more going up to the head than coming down again for a second. That little overflow ends up on the face cos its nowhere else to go. I read that, or I just made it up and I think I read it

"10 - Body hair: fine hair on the body and thick hair on the genitals is the opposite of what occurs in primates, our close animal relatives."

That is just bizarre.


I never pick my nose and eat it, it's disgusting

reply to post by Phlynx


That's not relevant to what I said. You have to be gullible and believe them for it to work as a coping strategy.

The body hair could be because our ancient ancestors were aquatic primates.

Aquatic Apes Theory

Basically, the hairlessness helped with swimming and the pubes helped to keep the important stuff warm. That's the theory anyway.

Not thoroughly impressed with their list. The hair on our bodies is a characteristic of mammals. It aides in warmth and protection from germs both of which are vital to survival.

[edit on 31-5-2010 by StopDrop_LOL]

reply to post by StopDrop_LOL


The mystery wasn't our body hair. It's the distribution of it. Most primates are covered in body hair, it's thinner in their arm pits and pubic region. In humans, the opposite is true. Our bodies are fairly hairless while our pits and pubic region are covered in hair.

reply to post by NotTooHappy


After hundreds of generations wearing clothing and shoes, our body hair growth is hindered.

As for the extra hair in the pubic region and arm pits... thats easy. The hair there is used as a dry lubricant so to speak. To keep those parts moving without abrasion and keep them dry.

Shave your armpits with a razor and let us know how you feel after a 10km walk.

reply to post by FeatheredSerpent




the article presumes that we must find a purpose for everything a species does. It ignores the concept of evolution being that you only breed out traits that are dangerous, leaving the others (even the superfluous ones) alone.

And it left out a major one: why are do humans have subcutaneous fat, like marine mammals?

Originally posted by Shadow Herder
reply to post by NotTooHappy

 

After hundreds of generations wearing clothing and shoes, our body hair growth is hindered.

As for the extra hair in the pubic region and arm pits... thats easy. The hair there is used as a dry lubricant so to speak. To keep those parts moving without abrasion and keep them dry.

Shave your armpits with a razor and let us know how you feel after a 10km walk.

this is why fat folks wear spandex. not to gross people out, but to prevent chafing. if you play sports, and don't wear it, you will end up walking like Dale Evans.