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This Is How Sapiosexuals Fall In Love

February 5, 2016, 6:42 am
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The story This Is How Sapiosexuals Fall In Love appeared first on StoryPick.

Sapiosexual (noun, adj.)
One who finds intelligence the most sexually attractive feature.

Sapiosexual as a type of preference was found in the early 2000s with the rise of OKCupid and other online dating websites. Darren Stalder, a blogger on LiveJournal, claims to have invented the term in 1998, explaining how intellectual individuals are more stimulated by interesting conversations than just physical sex.

So how do sapiosexuals fall in love, as compared to normal heterosexuals?

1. It’s all about the brains, baby

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Sapiosexuals are simple, and at the same time, very complicated creatures. They are attracted to conversation, but at the same time, are repelled by gossip. Yes, they are two different things, vastly. Sapiosexual people thrive on the arousal of the brain, and deep and lasting, not to mention intellectual, conversations are the sure shot way to keep them glued.

 

2. They’re turned on by experiences over physical assets

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This is not to discard the fact that they don’t look out for good-looking partners, but if you have stories to tell, and life-shaping experiences to recount, then you’re a keeper for them. Sapiosexuals don’t want to know where you went for your vacation last week, they want to know where your mind wanders when you are in one place.

 

3. Challenge me, and I’m yours

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Sapiosexual people are competitive, very much so. They will want to argue, and discuss, and debate, and they will secretly want to be proved wrong, because at the end, a loss is a learning curve. Pull out a few quizzes, share a random fact of which they haven’t heard, and they’ll be head over heels for you. Inspire them, and they may just write a song on you.

 

4. Their unending thirst for knowledge drives them

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Sapiosexuals aren’t your first bench toppers from high school. They are much more. Intelligence isn’t only book-deep. Intelligence is a way of life for them, and it ranges in everything they see and breathe and eat and love. They want to learn from you, get on the same wavelength as you, and be better than you. Their brains want exercise, as much as you can give them.

 

5. Leave your drama, for your mama

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People in love with intellects, conversation, and a limitless journey of self-discovery don’t have time for your trivial and silly arguments and insecurities. They aren’t jealous, neither are they insecure, and they sure as hell won’t waste their effort on little things that don’t matter. They would rather listen to what keeps you awake at night, and will be able to discuss issues with you rather patiently.

 

6. They believe in your beliefs, and feel what you feel

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Co-existence is a thing that most sapiosexuals are blatantly in favour of. Your favourite genres of music, their favourite kinds of music, both of yours favourite cuisines will no way come in between your relationship. They are of the understanding that the more diverse the tastes, the stronger the bond, and the more the compatibility.

 

7. I like big books and I cannot lie

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Like everything else that makes you grow in intellect, sapiosexuals are bibliophiles, they’re hoarders of the good kind, and they will want to know what you like to read and what kind of words lost in pages keep you awake till 5 am in the morning. Their kind of sexy talk is when you talk Vonnegut, and Shakespeare, and Gaiman, and Tolstoy to them.

 

8. May the odds be ever in your favour

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Yes, fandoms. You will find that most sapiosexuals fancy the thought and idea of fictional characters and places and storylines and they most likely will also have written things that have sprung to life in their own brilliant minds. And their likenesses won’t stop at reading books, watching movies, and following TV shows, no. They will research it far and wide and will bring out the facts and ideas that led for their favourite stories to come to fruition.

 

9. You are what you are, and nothing more

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Sapiosexuals are aware of the fact that you are not your physical embodiment, nor are you the situations that surround you. You are the sum total of your beliefs, your thoughts, your ideas, and your experiences, and it is these things and these alone that have shaped you, and thus, you will always be loved who you truly are by a Sapiosexual.

Sapiosexuals are hard to come by, because they have been scorned so many times, dismissed as being weird, and hated for their strong ideals. Yet, they are the best kinds of people. So, if a sapiosexual is in love with you, don’t let them go, and if you’re one yourself, cheers to you! :)

Here’s some soothing music! ♫

 

Live long and prosper! 🖖

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The story This Is How Sapiosexuals Fall In Love appeared first on StoryPick.

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A To-Do List For 2016 To Change Your Life While There’s Still Time

February 5, 2016, 9:14 pm
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The story A To-Do List For 2016 To Change Your Life While There’s Still Time appeared first on StoryPick.

2016 is upon us and January has already passed in like seven minutes. Every year we make resolutions, only to break them, because, hey, they’re meant to be broken, right?

WRONG!

Every end of the year, there should be only one resolution that people should set: Getting your life back in order. Every year we lament upon how twisted it is, and we don’t remember that half or more than half of it is our own doing. So cast aside the whines, and get a hold of yourself (it’s still February) before another year rushes before your eyes.

1. Start a hobby

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A musical instrument. Reading. Even watching better movies. Hobbies are not only limited to collecting stuff.

 

2. Quit a habit

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Seriously, stop smoking. If you drink every weekend, make it a monthly affair. Say nope to drugs.

 

3. Pursue something other than your career

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Take a break from studies/work. Explore a new genre of music. Eat a new dish. Learn a new language. Start cooking.

 

4. Take time off

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Detox. Go for a short trip. Be alone for a few days. Meet yourself.

 

5. Get your rhythm back

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Your circadian rhythm, to be specific. Sleep on time, and wake up early. Mould your life around those times.

 

6. Eat healthy

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Give the street food a backseat, demote fatty foods to once a week, and eat better home-cooked meals.

 

7. Make little changes in your space

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Add a poster to your boring wall. Change your phone’s wallpaper. Keep a potted plant on your desk. A Little sprucing up goes a long way.

 

8. Express more

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Laugh heartily. Cry if you must. Vent to those who matter, they’ll always be there to listen to you. Get in touch with your emotional side.

 

9. Connect more

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Talk. Meet. Don’t call and text. Go out for a walk with your friends. Invite them to your place or meet them at theirs.

 

10. Swear off electronics

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Conveniently forget about the smartphone and the computer screen. Save yourself from some radiation and that harmful blue light.

 

11. Get creative

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Write. Paint. Sing. Flex the power of the right brain, and let your inner feelings spring to life.

 

12. Be productive

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Don’t procrastinate. The feeling of getting your work done on/before time is liberating. Slacking is for weak people.

So, there you go, add a few tweaks of your own and take life by its horns.

Buckle up, soldier!

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The story A To-Do List For 2016 To Change Your Life While There’s Still Time appeared first on StoryPick.

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22 Ways You Can Influence People Without Speaking A Word

February 5, 2016, 10:02 pm
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The story 22 Ways You Can Influence People Without Speaking A Word appeared first on StoryPick.

Sometimes silence is the most eloquent reply.

But not because silence speaks. It is because even when you do not speak words, you are giving away a lot of emotions and vibes.

You don’t need to be good with words to be expressive. A person with good knowledge of interpreting body language can understand you clearly even when you are not speaking at all.

How?

Read on.

1. Let the other person speak first. It makes them like you more

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Be a good listener. It doesn’t mean that you are not assertive. It just means that the person you allowed to speak first will come to like  you even more, just because of this small gesture.

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2. Don’t use a smartphone while talking or before meeting a person

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You may love surfing on your beloved smartphone, but handheld devices affect our mood and confidence. If you have an in=mportant meeting or date, it is preferable that you do not use handheld devices some hours before the meet.

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3. Nod. People like nodding.

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Nodding makes a positive impression when you talk. Nodding also makes the other person nod too and eventually they will agree with almost whatever you say.

Very helpful in meetings and interviews.

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4. Copy their movements, it opens them up to you

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Mirroring other people’s movements is also very flattering to them subconsciously. It closes hostilities and makes you appear very friendly to them. So, if your date has crossed their legs, it is advisable for you to cross them too.

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5. Stand up above the crowd to speak. It puts you in a dominant position

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Standing up makes you more assertive and dominant, especially when you are in a crowd of people sitting on chairs. Stand up even when you are talking on the phone. You will automatically feel more dominant.

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6. Use gestures when you speak

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Research has shown that people who use gestures when they give talks are judged to be more efficient and influential.

But use meaningful hand gestures that convey the point across, not some random hand acrobatics in the air.

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7. Get a tattoo.

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Having a tattoo  makes you come across as a thrill-seeker and an adventurous person. Statistically, people with tattoos have more sexual partners than people with no tattoos.

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8. Make and maintain eye contact

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Just gazing into people’s eyes can make you fall in love. Imagine what looking into them for some time can do. Maintaining eye contact is an important trick you can use to put your point across more strongly.

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9. Take a look at wrinkles on foreheads. They also matter.

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The more forehead wrinkles a person has, the more open he/she is going to be. Raising eyebrows is a characteristic of an open person.

Next time, pay attention to this too.

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10. Lean in while talking to a person.

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Just by leaning in, you can take a lead in a conversation. Reducing the space between you and the person you are talking to makes you look influential.

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11. There’s a thing called power posture

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Standing in a power pose increases your influence on others. It also calms your nerves and makes you confident.

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12. And a winner’s posture too

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Winners hold their chests out and shoulders broad. Losers slouch. The next time you start losing a match, do not slouch at all. Be mindful of your body language. Just by standing tall and broad, you may as well turn the match around.

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13. Use Pumpkin and lavender perfumes to woo men

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The smell of pumpkin and lavender turns on men. Research showed that men actually got sexually aroused because of the smell of lavender and pumpkin on a woman’s body.

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14. Pay attention to the pupils in their eyes

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Pupils contract and dilate automaticaly. You have little control over them. Always notice their pupils when you converse with people. It is an excellent source of feedback. If they dilate, it means that they are impressed by you, and if they contract – it is time to change the subject.

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15. Wear blue to appear more trustworthy

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The color blue is associated with trust, security and cleanliness. Whereas rewd is associated with power, energy and passion. Every color is associated with different qualities. Use them before dressing up for the day, as the situation calls for it.

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16. Watch their eye movements too

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While talking, if you shift your gaze somewhere, look closely if the follow your gaze or not. If they do, it means that they are impressed, and if they don’t, they still have conservative feelings for you.

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17. Touch them lightly on their arms and shoulders

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Touching a person you are talking to lightly and innocuously makes them more receptive to you. A study showed that waiters who touched their customers at a restaurant on their arms and shoulder received more tips than your regular waiter.

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18. Look at the time of the day when you talk to people. People lie according to the time of the day too

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If you are scheduled for a meeting or a date, choose the time of meeting carefully. Studies have shown that humans tend to change behavior according to time of the day.

Morning people tend to be dishonest during the evenings and the night owls tend to lie during the mornings.

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19. Occupy more space and spread out . It is a show of success and domination

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The next time you sit or stand in front of people, take up space. Appearing bigger makes a better impression on people.

This is the reason taller people tend to be more successful than shorter people.

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20. Sigh if you want to get attention

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Sighing makes the other person automatically go, “What’s wrong?”

If you want to get a person concerned around you, you should sigh.

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21. Keep a look out for personal space. Sometimes it is welcomed, sometimes it is not.

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Did you know that some people feel aroused when they get into crowded elevators?

There is a reason to this. We live with an aura of personal space around us. If a person we hate comes into this space we get feelings of hate and anger. But if you do the same with a person who likes you then both of you feel good.

Keep this knowledge in the back of your head the next time you get close to a person.

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22. Smile the Duchenne smile

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There is a difference between a plain smile and a Duchenne smile. Fake smiles do not evoke any emotion in the person in front of you. Whereas a Duchenne smile makes the other person smile too. The next time you think about making a person smile, just smile as genuinely as possible.

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Keep them in mind the next time you go to an important meeting or a date.

They will definitely help you.

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The story 22 Ways You Can Influence People Without Speaking A Word appeared first on StoryPick.

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Here’s The Inspiring Story Of A Pune Man Who Saved Up For 10 Years For A Dog Ambulance

February 6, 2016, 5:18 am
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The story Here’s The Inspiring Story Of A Pune Man Who Saved Up For 10 Years For A Dog Ambulance appeared first on StoryPick.

In a world where they make festivals out of culling dogs, there are a few good men who are a little empathetic towards the furry beings. Meet Balu, a man from Pune who doesn’t want to do anything that doesn’t have to do with taking care of Animals. Balu saved up for ten years to buy a van which he turned which he now uses as an ambulance to transport dogs to vets.

Balu is not a vet but he has learnt the basics of animal care such as dressing wounds, putting up salines and handling injections by simply hanging out with professionals. Some appreciate him, some don’t understand his love for animals and some are even contemptuous of his activities. Get to know more about Balu in this video by Open Road.

A  lot of us have a lot to learn from you, Balu.

The story Here’s The Inspiring Story Of A Pune Man Who Saved Up For 10 Years For A Dog Ambulance appeared first on StoryPick.

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18 Lessons You Wish They Taught You In Your School

February 6, 2016, 7:13 am
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The story 18 Lessons You Wish They Taught You In Your School appeared first on StoryPick.

Formal school education is good for you. But to deal with life, you need a bit more than the education present in textbooks today.

Plus, the education schools provide today is useless to develop real life skills. It is good for getting a job and a career but other aspects of life also matter a lot and most of us learn them during our course of life – what we end up calling experience.

It would be so much more awesome if our school education gave us a heads up on the other important aspects of life.

1. Emergency repairs in your house

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A pipe breaks down in the house, we call the plumber. Some electric circuitry shorts, we call the electrician. It could save us a lot of money if we were taught the basic and practical way most of the things in our houses work so that we can fix them in an emergency.

 

2. That, first impressions are important, and so are the subsequent impressions too

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We were taught in school that first impressions matter. But we were never taught that subsequent impressions are as crucial too. That we need to maintain our relations with people around us that benefit them and us.

No one has gotten successful after antagonizing everyone around them.

 

3. You think you are talented and super cool? It means nothing after you graduate

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We may have been unique in school, but when we get to the real world we notice that so many people are just as good and unique as we are. It is just the small world of our school boundaries that made us so important.

Outside, in the real world, so much has to be done before we are recognized and attain the lost glory again.

 

4. How to cook to save your lives

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And not just cooking, but even washing our dirty dishes after we are done eating in them. Because we were mollycoddled by our mom’s brilliant cooking when we lived comfortably in our homes, we never learned to really appreciate it – until we could only cook and eat Maggi noodles to save our lives.

 

5. Tips to set realistic goals

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If only they could tell us that not every person can become a pilot or an author or a brilliant scientist. Sometimes we get too ahead of ourselves in our life just because we are all told that we can be whatever we want.

 

6. No one gives a damn about your ambitions in this world

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No one really cares where you go in your life, really – except for the closest of the people in your lives. Do not, for one second, think that a friend you made in college or a former colleague is extremely happy for your success.

People have their own lives to live and care about, and altruism is a very rare virtue in people.

 

7. Adult responsibilities

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Paying bills, life insurance, filing tax returns, getting your own passport yourselves, paying your mobile bills, look for apartments, etc.

 

8. Famous joke references so that you are not embarrassed

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Popular culture references are extremely important if you want to have a funny conversation with a group.

Because if you do not get the reference, you will be one of those guys who lets out a fake laugh and prays that the others ignore the fact that you didn’t get the joke at all.

 

9. Real politics, and how our politicians don’t really give a damn

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All of them have ulterior motives. All of them operate under big political parties that have bigger motives. Political science and civics is all well and good, but they should have told us that in politics, nothing goes by the books.

 

10. You are not really special, but you can be if you work really, really hard at it

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They end up telling everyone in school that every boy and girl in there is special. But that is not really true or right to do. You need years and years of hard work before you can tap into that talent and do something significant.

 

11. Tips to live with difficult people in life and how to tolerate them

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Bad roommates, passive-aggressive friends, hateful girlfriends – all the bad variety you have to live with during the course of your life. It would have been awesome we were taught how to handle difficult people during the times when we really cannot get away from them.

 

12. How to fight procrastination, low morale, and depression

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When depression hits us we are utterly unprepared for it most of the times. We shove the problem away, calling it laziness and what not. It would have been a lot of help if they taught us to deal with our own minds and how to keep zen during the rough patches in our lives.

 

13. Dealing with failure and putting bits and pieces of life back together

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We failed in school in some subjects, but we always knew that another exam would be held in a few months. School gives us a lot of chances after a case of failure.

The same is not true about life. Failure is hard and crippling, and you need support in friends and families to get through it. Some people do not last, some learn along the way.

 

14. Actual finance and how it all actually works

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Tax, mortgage, FDI, interest rates, stock options and what not. It would have been awesome if we were told how money actually changes hands in complex ways. Because in the end, even a science and arts graduate earns money.

 

15. Verify for facts before proclaiming to know and share something you believe in on Facebook

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Sharing hoax posts on Facebook that is as fake as it gets is so normal these days. It became such a rage that complete websites are dedicated to churning out fake news. And people still believe in them and share them without putting any thought into it.

 

16. All about scams and how to not fall for them

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You may not have fallen for any of them, but many people have. A whole generation fell for the Nigerian scam when they actually sent money to the bank accounts to help the prince escape Africa.

There are more subtle forms of scams today, and not just the online ones. The foremost example would be the way Amway sells its products.

 

17. How to maintain a work-life balance

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Many people grumble and complain that they do not get the time to do what they want after work hours. We spent a lot of time with extra-curricular activities in school and hence it was a shocker to us when we didn’t find any time to relax and chill out.

But there is time to do that too. We have to take time out for it now, and not wait until someone hands us a timetable – just like in school.

 

18. How to not be an asshole to other people

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It is the biggest problem plaguing the world right now. We were taught to be polite to people back in school, but we were never taught how to NOT be an asshole sometimes.

Looks like school gave us all the math, language, and social studies, but no real life skills.

Hope they start including them in the curriculum soon.

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The story 18 Lessons You Wish They Taught You In Your School appeared first on StoryPick.

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8 Everyday Habits Of Successful People Which Won’t Cost You A Dime

February 6, 2016, 7:23 am
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The story 8 Everyday Habits Of Successful People Which Won’t Cost You A Dime appeared first on StoryPick.

Our ancestors weren’t wrong when they said, “Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”

Successful and wealthy people around the world live on certain tried and tested mantras for making every day a power day. And what’s more, they find a way to do that frugally.

So what exactly do they do?

1. Make a list

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Lists are the best way to get organised. A task list will get you ahead of your meetings and will tell you what your day has in store. A to-do list will tell you all the nitty-gritties that you have to take care of. But the best practice is to make a to-do list the night before, just before you sleep. This will condition your mind to take in all the effort it’ll need to get through the day.

 

2. Wake up an hour early

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Yes, one hour does make all the difference. Although it will be a bit difficult in the beginning, it will work wonders once you get used to it. One extra hour is surprisingly very effective in having a great and productive work day. Take a walk, exercise, eat a healthy breakfast, or just take it all in, and get a calm head for the work ahead.

 

3. Isolate and meditate

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Many successful people the world over attribute a huge amount of credit for their success to deep meditation. Sitting in a silent corner, alone with yourself, and cleansing your mind is the ultimate way to achieving a healthy thought process and regulated body function. Healthy mind = healthy body = healthy life.

 

4. Ditch the screen and read more

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Research has proved that increased exposure to laptop and mobile screens can harm your mental capacity. Whereas reading has proved to increase brain activity. Find time to read, it will help you destress during the day and get you back on track if you’re having a dull time.

 

5. Saying ‘no’ is okay, and important

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When you concentrate on the activities that will help you get through the day, you have to keep in mind not to let other trivial activities come in the way of your productivity. This is the reason why you have to learn to say ‘no.’ It is a valuable skill and will go a long way in the interest of your organisation and your personal growth as well.

 

6. Don’t have an empty moment

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Successful people maximise their own potential and never stay free at work. Elon Musk is known to work an impressive 80-100 hours in a week. Fit in all kinds of productive work and shape your day around them so that you can get the most out of everything you do and don’t have time to while away.

 

7. Take risks and stay focused

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It is important to drive all your work so that you fly towards the targets you have set for yourself. For this, you also have to keep in mind that there will come times when you will have to take calculated risks to achieve a goal inside the time limit you have set for it.

 

8. Believe in the moment

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Everyone knows about the Fear Of Missing Out, or FOMO. But successful people don’t let that hamper their train of thought. They aren’t afraid to miss out on unimportant matters and will dedicate their entire focus and attention to the more important tasks at hand.

Elon Musk, President Barrack Obama, Oprah Winfrey, Warren Buffet, and many other big and successful names the world over swear by these guidelines. So you have reliable sources to back them up.

Go ahead and seize the day! ✊

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The story 8 Everyday Habits Of Successful People Which Won’t Cost You A Dime appeared first on StoryPick.

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Ranjit Barot’s Beautiful Song with A.R Rahman Is The Inspiration Every Youngster Needs In India

February 8, 2016, 4:55 am
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The story Ranjit Barot’s Beautiful Song with A.R Rahman Is The Inspiration Every Youngster Needs In India appeared first on StoryPick.

A dreamer. Every great dream begins with a dreamer, and he always has within himself, the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars to change the world. But every dreamer needs support, and for all the kids who start thinking big, their parents are it. Sometimes, the thinking doesn’t match. Call it generation gap, or a longing for a more secure future, parents hesitate in taking risks. But should that stop you from chasing your passion?

Mercedes-Benz ProjectX is about that exuberant genesis, which followed by hard work, practice and perseverance, leads to success. The beautiful song called Khushnuma, composed by Ranjit Barot, brought to life by A R Rahman, and sung by musical maestros namely Salim Merchant, Shubha Mudgal, and Amit Trivedi, tells a story of a dreamer, Shivam, who wanted to pursue music. He had to choose between his father’s decision to study hard and his inner call to follow melody.

Watch how things turned around for him.
Also remember…

Follow your dreams.

Don’t follow your dreams; chase them.

This story is brought to you in association with Qyuki

The story Ranjit Barot’s Beautiful Song with A.R Rahman Is The Inspiration Every Youngster Needs In India appeared first on StoryPick.

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8 Things We Wish We Could Do This Valentines Day. I Mean The Single Guys.

February 8, 2016, 6:32 am
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The story 8 Things We Wish We Could Do This Valentines Day. I Mean The Single Guys. appeared first on StoryPick.

It is that time of the year again for us single guys, pretending to not give a damn about February 14.

But deep inside every single guy does give a damn, and who can blame them? Loneliness in the midst of the celebration of love is a hard thing to bear, even if we are happy for the other people who have found love.

On these days, there is always a part of me that goes into wishful thinking.

What if..

1. I get up and get a happy valentines day text from a girl

What I actually get – a WhatsApp forward on family group, a nude on college friends group and a “hello, when are you reaching office” from the boss.

 

2. Someone who lights up into a smile when they see me in the morning

Not the housemaid’s face when you accidentally step onto her freshly mopped floor.

 

3. A girl buys a gift for me

For once. For once. OH GOD FOR ONCE!

 

4. A girl gets me just by looking at me from across the room

The exact opposite of a 3000 slide powerpoint presentation to a group of ape-headed executives.

 

5. Someone tells me to go and get it!

Instead of the one person in your life who tries to put you down at every bloody instance.

 

6. Someone takes care of me

For one day, so that I can shed the “masculinity” and all the phony chivalry.

 

7. Someone finds me incredibly handsome even without me trying at all

When I am sloppy and untidy as fuck in the morning, and not when I have to dress up to impress people.

 

8. Someone who tells me that she loves me

Without any prompting, without any wooing, without any dates, without any complications, without me saying it first.

Gaah.

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15 Signs That Show It’s Probably A Good Time To Break Up

February 8, 2016, 6:44 am
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Breaking a heart is to break yourself first.

Every relationship starts so beautifully but it’s so sad when winter settles over spring and suddenly everything that used to make you happy, starts irritating you and it makes you want to go chase summer. When you begin feeling like this, or your partner does, and you sense that distinctively, it’s time you ask yourself some questions and come to a decision that is the best for the two of you. Because you never stop caring for them, rather care about them too much.

Here are a few signs that your relationship is coming closer to an expiration date, if not taken care of in time.

1. He/she tries to keep minimum contact with you. As less as possible.

 

2. Either you or your partner has developed irresolvable trust issues.

 

3. The two of you have pole apart views on the big picture of life.

 

4. Either of you is holding on to the past way too tightly.

 

5. You don’t feel free to be yourself.

 

6. You notice he/she has gradually lost interest in you.

 

7. Things aren’t going anywhere with the two of you.

 

8. You’ve been at crossroads before that is breaking up. Several times.

 

9. The only thing keeping you together is the physical attraction.

 

10. He/she is perennially suspicious of you.

 

11. You don’t feel like his/her priority.

 

12. He/she resorts to abusing you now and then.

 

13. He/she puts you down every time you need them the most.

 

14. Your partner tries to take control of you and makes all of your decisions.

 

15. You’re not friends with each other anymore.

You just keep waiting for a miracle, but it doesn’t happen.

Every relationship is different, and all these signs can be overcome only, and only love.

And if it’s not love, you’ll find it, so will your partner. Both of you deserve it. :)

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9 Things That Are Illegal In India But Nobody Cares

February 10, 2016, 6:25 am
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Whoever said India is intolerant has peanuts for brains. We’re the most tolerant nation in the world and we’re so so tolerant that we tolerate illegal activities being held out in broad daylight, day after day, as if it’s just a part of life. Some of these activities affect us, some don’t and some, we even find convenient. Let’s find out some of the most common illegal things that take place, routinely, without any regard for the law.

1. Child Labor

You see them in roadside eateries, tea-shops, garages, shops and everywhere. Many of them are even working as domestic help. The Child Labor (Prohibition and Regulation) Act was implemented in 1986 and expanded in 2006 and 2008. However, it did not help much to change the scene of child labor in the country.

The problem is, although it has been legalized, the authorities cannot force people from sending their children to work instead of school because a large section of such families come from extremely poor section of the society. However, a more strict approach could ensure people refraining from giving birth to children just to earn out of them.

 

2. Red Light Areas

Every city has it. The red light areas essentially associated to the sex industry along with other anti-social activities going on without much interference from the authorities.

Unlicensed prostitution, abuse, sex-rackets are just a part of everyday life in these areas. Children are born in brothels, grow up with prostitutes and pimps, and often choose between the two professions for it’s not too unnatural a vocation when you see your mother sweat it out as a sex worker while growing up.

 

3. Piracy

This is one of those illegal activities that we don’t mind at all. The independent music industry has almost evaporated in India because record labels are not really keen on signing musicians whose albums can be simply copied and sold in the streets without the label getting any money.

Bollywood as well, faces the brunt of the flourishing piracy industry and a studies have shown that the loss incurred by the entertainment industry dues to piracy is about Rs 16,000 crores. The 2008 report has also mentioned the loss of more than 800,000 jobs in the entertainment industry as an effect of piracy.

 

4. Girl Child Abortion and Sex Determination

Both are illegal in India but clinics offering the concerned services are in plenty. We like to think that we are past those horrible days when India would consider the girl child as a burden and nip it at the bud but we’re still carrying the tradition and quite proudly at certain parts of the country. The laws against the practice of sex determination had been in implemented in 1994 but the number of female fetus abortions has not dipped.

However, earlier this month a suggestion to make sex determination compulsory was put forward by Union Woman and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi. The idea is to determine the sex, get the fetus registered before birth and track if the child was born or not.

 

5. Selling counterfeit goods

Another malpractice we don’t really mind. A lot of us belong to the Middle Class section of the society but still want to sport good clothes, accessories and shoes. If we can buy products that look exactly like the branded ones and cost less than half, why complaint?

According to recent reports, counterfeit of replica goods cost the Indian government an annual loss of Rs 15,000 crores. The hotbed for selling and buying replica goods is the online market and the practice is prevalent in all kinds of commodity products starting from clothes, food to even medicine.

 

6. Selling backyard brewed alcohol

The problem with illegal liquor is that they often contain battery acids, chemical solvents, methyl alcohol which makes them strong and hard to give you the alcohol high of your life but are detrimental to the health. The laws against the selling of such alcohol are strict in India but the industry is still a thriving one.

Poor people from every part of the country consume the poison in the name of cheap alcohol and the number of deaths caused by desi daru every year is nothing less than shocking. However, the addas manage to survive with negotiations with authorities despite the laws against them.

 

7. Begging rackets all over the country

The Bombay Prevention of Begging Act, 1959 considers begging as a crime and the law had been adopted by Delhi as well. Interestingly, no cases have been registered under the Act as of yet which should mean that there are no beggars in our cities but we all know that’s not how it is.

If the law should be implemented more strictly debatable because the country may not have the resource to rehabilitate every beggar. However, the alarming part is the rise of the begging mafias all over the country who traffic humans into the practice of seeking alms on street.

 

8. Adulteration in food

Milk gets adulterated with urea over permissible amounts, rice grains get adulterated with stones, mustard oil gets adulterated with crude rice bran oil and the list only continues. The turmeric powder used in households are often adulterated with ‘metanil yellow’ which are produced with ingredients such as diphenylamine and metanilic acid and it can cause cancer to our bodies.

Several packaged water bottles claim to be ‘mineral waters’ without having any ISI or BIS authentication. This is is just the tip of the ice-berg of the food adulteration scene in India in spite of the strict laws against it.

 

9. Roadside dentists

The Chapter V, Section 49 of the Dentist Act of 1948 deems street dentistry as illegal. However, the country is full of such unlicensed dentists who can do the bridging of your teeth for as much as Rs 125 while a licensed professional in his clinic would charge Rs 10,000 for the same.

There are no clinic, no chairs, no electric drills required for dentistry in these roadside chambers and you can just walk to them without an appointment and get your tooth removed with equipment that may or may not be sanitized. It is common practice in many cities of India, including Delhi and nobody seems to be much bothered about it.

And they say we are intolerant!

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Drunk Delhi Girl Who Rammed Her Car Into Bike Creates A Scene Again At The Police Station

February 10, 2016, 11:35 pm
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Recently, a drunk girl created a scene after ramming her Mercedes into a bike in Connaught Place, Delhi. She misbehaved with the two guys on the bike and the police authorities on the spot as well. But, later when she was taken to the Police Station & CMO for her statement, the ruckus didn’t stop there.

This video uploaded by Kundan Srivastava clearly shows her misbehaving with the concerned authorities in the police station. At one point in time, she even snatched the sheet from an officer and threw it on the floor. She even accused the two guys on the bike of harassing her.

I’m surprised why she’s not behind bars for misbehaving with the police. The most obvious question pops up: Is it because she’s a girl? (And probably a rich girl with powerful parents) Would the police behave the same had it been a drunk boy? Food for thought.

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12 Interesting Concepts About Death In Hindu Mythology That You Should Know

February 11, 2016, 5:54 am
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Death.

As believed by most, a child takes birth by the grace of god, lives his/her life, does things that might be good or evil, stands before a court which brands him/her a good follower or a sinful creature and is sent to either Heaven or Hell. If one does good, he/she goes to Heaven and if one does bad things, he/she goes to Hell. But in Hindu mythology, there is much much more than that. It’s a much more complex idea.

The more we explore, the more we learn and the more we learn, the more we understand.

1. Life does not come from a void, and death does not mean disappearing into nothing.

According to Hindu mythology, there is no start or the end of life, it’s all about the journey of a soul which goes through different lives experiencing death multiple times, to get to the ultimate goal that is freedom from taking birth.

Fact Source

 

2. As contrary to popular belief, there is no just one Swarg or one Narak. There are various levels which are attained according to karma. Also, there is Vaikuntha where Lord Vishnu and Goddess Lakshmi reside.

There is no one place called Swarg and one place called Narak. There are, however, various levels of both where one can go according to their deeds until they take their next birth.

Fact Source 1 & 2

 

3. The first step according to Hindu mythology, is the crossing of the Vaitarni, the river beyond which the realm of Yama lies.

The ritual of performing Shraddh in Hindus is performed particularly to help the soul of the deceased cross the Vaitarni into the Pitrulok where they can meet all our ancestors and look after us from above, blessing us.
And one doesn’t cross Vaitarni just once, they cross it repeatedly after the end of every birth. Even the gods aren’t exempted from this cycle, hence the concept of reincarnation.

Fact Source

 

4. Yama, as popularly believed to be the God of death is probably more like an accountant who keeps track of the good and the bad karma, devoid of feeling or judgement.

Yama also said to be the first man is probably the most misunderstood god in Hindu mythology. He is in fact not as fierce as portrayed. He, however, is like a shrewd accountant who keeps a strict record of one’s good deeds and the bad deeds and sends the soul accordingly to its deserving place.

Fact Source

 

5. God, in Hindu mythology, is not a judge who sentences you for your sins.

Neither does he reward you unnecessarily. God is merely there to keep the world in balance. The balance of the good and the evil if you may. The concept of good and evil is another vast topic of discussion, but if simply spoken, they are more like guardians than dictators of law. Also, instead of just one, there is an entire hierarchy which has it’s own place and functions. There is no gender specification in Hindu mythology. Everything has two sides, balancing both forces. And eventually, it all in nirgun, i.e without form.

Fact Source

 

6. There is always room for repentance, that is in this life or the next.

There is always a way of righting your wrong. It all depends on our actions. Every action causes an effect which requires another action. Like a Butterfly effect, every ripple gives rise to a bigger ripple, but the difference here is, that the bigger ripple has an option to not be a destructive one.

Fact Source

 

7. The deceased first resides in Pitrulok until designated the next place of accommodation, until eventually they take the next birth.

Pitrulok is a place where all our ancestors reside always watching over us, and we owe our existence to them. From here the various complex layers of Yamalok start.

Fact Source

 

8. Karma or deeds if you may, play an important part. The next birth is also decided on the karma of the previous birth where there are ample chances for improvement.

Everybody deserves a chance. That’s the basic principle to the concept of karma.

Fact Source

 

9. Neither Swarg nor Narak, are permanent. Souls travel through continuously through them.

The root of Hindu mythology is the impermanence of everything. Nothing, absolutely nothing is permanent.

Fact Source

 

10. The cycle of births and rebirths can only be escaped if one attains Moksha.

The cycle is seemingly never ending, but with every birth, you keep getting closer to the source of the soul.

Fact Source

 

11. Moksha is obtaining freedom from desire. Even the desire to be free from desire. That’s when one is truly free.

Although, there are various complexities in the subject of desire, Moksha metaphorically means abandoning Iccha one by one, until you are left  with nothing. But before abandoning desire, you have to experience it. You cannot abandon something you never had.

Fact Source

 

12. Moksha is going back to the source, which is not necessarily God in the rigid sense.

The source is a vague concept and as opposed to other mythological or religious concepts, there is no God at the end of the tunnel. Although, there is a presence the source of life and death and everything that is in between.

Fact Source

What Hindu mythology primarily says, is that there is no separate entity that encapsulates Gods, Humans and Demons (none of which are rigid in Indian mythology), but they all reside within us and we chose which way our soul goes.

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Here’s Everything That You Need To Know About The Gravitational Wave Discovery

February 12, 2016, 5:09 am
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Yesterday, the National Science Foundation in America brought together scientists from the Massachusets Institue of Technology (MIT), the California Institute of Technology (CalTech), and The Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (LIGO) Scientific Collaboration to break the news about the detection of Gravitational Waves.

A little background on the history of Gravitational Waves

Exactly 100 years ago, in 1916, German-born theoretical physicist Albert Einstein laid down the Theory of Relativity, one of the guiding forces that drive the universe, and predicted the existence of gravitational waves. Yesterday’s news of the said waves prove Einstein’s theory in part and has opened new vistas for further study of our vast and mysterious universe.

Fact source

 

Now the important question: What are Gravitational Waves?

In layman’s terms, gravitational waves are ripples in the fabric of spacetime. For the uninitiated, spacetime is a model that observes the element of the universe as a single entity made up of both space and time. If you rotate a rugby ball in a pool, the ripples move outwards. Gravitational waves move outwards in the same way after two unequal masses swivel inwards in spacetime. Equal masses won’t work, just like rotating a perfectly spherical ball won’t create as many ripples.

Fact source

 

How are Gravitational Waves formed?

Black holes are one of the largest objects in space. And the larger the object, the more mass it will hold. If you consider spacetime as a bed, placing an object of a large mass (like a bowling ball) on it will make it have an indentation. Black holes have the same effect on spacetime. Now when two black holes combine, they spiral into each other, and the orbiting and eventual moment of their combination results in a large disturbance, i.e., a gravitational wave, which travels throughout space undisturbed by planets, stars, or other objects. All objects carrying mass create them, even humans, but those waves will be negligible and almost non-existent to decipher.

Fact source

 

How dow we know when a Gravitational Wave passes?

For the purpose of detecting gravitational waves, researchers from MIT and CalTech built the LIGO in 2002. It is built of two vacuum tunnels in an L-shape, each roughly 4.02 kilometres (or 2.5 miles) long. Two observation stations are located at their ends, roughly 3218 kilometres (or 2000 miles) apart, one in Washington and one in Louisiana. What this observatory does is fire laser beams constantly from the L-joint to both ends. At the ends are mirrors placed that bounce the beams back to the joint. If gravitational waves pass through that area, the mirrors will be very very slightly displaced, and the change in beams will be recorded.

Fact source

 

How exactly did the current one get detected?

On 14 September 2015 at 4:50 AM Eastern Time (or 02:10 PM Indian Standard Time), LIGO detected its first gravitational waves, and named them GW150914. After a few months of studying all the data from the observations, they were ready to tell the world about it, after many debates and discussions with other scientists from their collaborations. Gravitational waves stretch and squeeze particles when they pass.

On the day they were detected, they stretched the mirrors at the Louisiana part of the L, and squeezed those at the Washington part, by a very very minuscule distance (one part of 1021, to be precise). The laser beams picked up these displacements and fed them into the observation computers.

Fact source

 

How will this finding be useful to us?

Up until now, scientists all over the world were only using one method of finding things in the universe, the electromagnetic spectrum, or whatever can be seen by transmitting waves of visible light. Gravitational wave GW150914 were born of two black holes colliding approximately 1.3 billion years ago, and they travel at the speed of light. Hence, this new finding will lead us to explore the more hidden depths of the universe, and find causes for the birth and death of black holes, more information about the anatomy of neutron stars, and other phenomena which have only been theorised till date.

Fact source

 

Remembering Sanjeev Dhurandar, who proposed the idea thirty years ago

Professor Sanjeev Dhurandar, yesterday, was hailed as one of the 1,000 key scientists who paved the way for the discovery and detection of gravitational waves. Prof. Dhurandar led the only Indian group at LIGO for 10 years initially, but his ideas were rubbished for lack of credibility. At a gathering held at the Inter-University Centre of Astronomy and Astrophysics (IUCAA) in Pune yesterday, former director Prof. Jayant Narlikar lauded Dhurandar for thinking against the tide and providing experiments for Gravitational waves.

This is a finding worthy of a Nobel Prize and goes on to prove just how accurate Einstein was, 100 years ago. So, have we detected gravitational waves yet?

 

To infinity and beyond! 🚀

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8 Interesting Philosophies You Probably Believe In But May Not Know Of Yet

February 12, 2016, 6:07 am
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Everyone has a philosophy even if we don’t know about it. Some are well defined, some not quite. Some are deep and well thought out while others could be a little shallow. We may not, at times, be able to express it in words but we all have our own philosophies.

Let’s take a look at some of most recognized outlooks towards life, theorized by eminent philosophers over the world and find out which school of thought do we belong to.

1. Hedonism – if pleasure is the only thing you live for

Hedonism is a philosophy that believes the only purpose of life is to gain pleasure. An ethical hedonist will do anything within his capacity to maximize the pleasures of life. Considering pleasure as the only intrinsically valuable aspect of life and living a life based on such terms does sound appealing. There are arguments against the philosophy deeming it superficial.

However, there are variants of the school of thought that makes it more complex. For example, Epicurean Hedonism is the philosophical quest to reduce the anguish caused by life and the fear of death. The Paradox of Hedonism, however, lies in the argument that constant pursuing of pleasure hinders the process of actually experiencing it.

 

2. Nihilism – if you believe in nothing

Nihilists believe that there is no value, motive or purpose to live and that the sense of morality or the judgement of right from wrong are based on man-made, arbitrary standards. It comes from a deeper realization that whatever we have learnt, observed and perceived from childhood does not have to be true and there’s absolutely no way that values, ethics, morals or knowledge can be understood in its genuine and authentic essence.

As a result, Nihilists not believe in anything, have no loyalties and if there’s something they affirm by, it is Nihil, which means “nothing”, a state of absolute non-existence.

 

3. Solipsism – if you think you’re the world

Unlike Nihilism, Solipsism is a bit more hopeful because it acknowledges existence. However, the metaphysical idea of the philosophy is that only the mind of an individual is real and anything outside the mind is just a projection of the of it and hence, nonexistent. Therefore, for a Solipsist, his mental state is the  sole thing he has access to and he cannot confirm if the things he sees, hears, tastes and touches exist in reality.

The backdrop of the philosophy owes its roots to French philosopher, Rene Descartes’ “methodic doubt” whose burning words, “I think, therefore I am”, although much criticized, remains a vibrant illustration of the dubitable concept of universal existence as perceived by Solipsism.

 

4. Logical Atomism – if you think reality lies in simplicity

Developed by British philosopher, Bertrand Russel, the idea professes that “simple facts” make up the world and life as we know of it and these facts are just like atoms which cannot be broken down any further. Just as there are multiple layers of matter which when removed all finally leaves the atom, Logical Atomism believes the “simple facts” when stripped of their superficial layers let us understand how life unfolds.

The school of thought strives for the simplification of ideas until their elementary states are reached so that the truth can be achieved. It opposes the earlier philosophy of “Absolute Idealism” of Hegel which said nothing can be understood in parts without understanding everything first.

 

5. Stoicism – if you think hope is the opium of emotions

The stoics believe that that real virtue lies in not what a man says but in how he behaves. Stoicism claims that judgement is often manipulated by emotions, eventually leading us to sins. Therefore, a stoic practices the art of not having emotions at all.

Stoics consider themselves as a small part of nature and strives to live in harmony with it because according to stoicism, trying to resist nature will only garner frustration, disappointment and anger. A stoic is not affected by the adversities of life but endures them with stoic indifference. It is a philosophy that urges you to be prepared for the very worst and be absolutely calm about it.

 

6. Animism – if you think there’s soul in objects too

If you think you can communicate with your guitar, your old toys, the books, there’s a school of though that actually believes in you. Animism is a philosophy that believes not only plants and animals but inanimate objects have souls too.

While many claim regal Animism as a primitive philosophy appealing to people unexposed to science and progress, there are physicists who have formed a bridge between science and Animism. American physicist and author, Nick Herbert, argues that consciousness is not just a property of biological and computational systems but is an integral aspect of the physical world.

 

7. Presentism – if you think the present is all that matters

According to this philosophical school of thought, there is nothing called the past or the future and the only thing that exists is the present moment. According to Saint Augustine, the future is imaginary, the past is just a perception and the present is like an edge of a knife between the two where the concept of time is not included.

Philosophers believe that time cannot be present and past at the same time which makes it un-extendable. Therefore, it can be said that the words you have just read on this page will cease to exist once you bounce off the page – only to exist again when you come back and read it again.

 

8. Eternalism – if you think nothing is lost

This one is quite a contradiction to Presentism. The philosophy professes the idea that the  past and the present are both real and so is the future. The past, present and future do not have to be in a linear progression and they could all be existent at the very same time in different dimensions.

The theory is also known by the terms “block time” or “block universe” because time is considered as a four-dimensional “block” which does not change. This view of reality claims that events of the past and the future are existent at the same time as present but can only be observed from specific locations.

So, if a tree is felled in the forest and no one sees it or hears it fall, was the tree there?

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10 Reasons Why Love Found During Travelling Doesn’t Last

February 12, 2016, 8:59 pm
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Everyone travels and we all love travelling. College trips, guided tours, family trips, friends on a road trip, the list never ends. What is common, though, is love. Either you rekindle your love with your partner, or you find new love.

But, here’s the catch. Love found during a vacation hardly ever lasts

1. You are vulnerable.

You don’t know what you should expect and can’t predict what’s going to happen. You are by yourself and you would like some familiarity around you. Falling in love at a point when you’re weak won’t go down well and you’ll realise that you have excess baggage when you return.

 

2. The trip itself is a temporary one.

Unless you’re relocating, any kind of travelling you do isn’t going to last. A relationship that develops in such a zone will also be looked at as temporary and trust me, you do not want that.

 

3. You are out of your comfort zone.

travel_venn

When you’re in a new surrounding, you’d want anything you have from back home to latch on to, just for that little sense of assurance and comfort. Falling in love seems like the perfect thing to do, but you won’t need it when you’re back in your own bubble.

 

4. You are in love with the idea of love

Love, actually, and the idea of love, are two very different things. You play it over in your head how beautiful it will be falling in love in the mountains, on the beach, in a foreign land; but all of that is in your head, and it’s the idea of love you are obsessed about.

 

5. Everything seems beautiful when travelling

Scenic lands, best clothes, and a fortnight of only enjoyment and zero work. Who wouldn’t like it? It all seems so…perfect, doesn’t it? But perfect doesn’t last, and perfect isn’t what will take you through life. Neither will a perfect relationship born in the sky.

 

6. Movies/books have also romanticised it loads

DO NOT EVEN GET ME STARTED ON THIS! More than half of our sparkly expectations of love in the time of travelling come from the beautifully set and structured storylines of our favourite books and movies. Revelation: Not gonna happen in real life.

 

7. Less number of disagreements

You don’t want to have fights or arguments when you’re having such a good time yourself, hence fewer topics will arise which might lead you to disagreements. People often take this as a wrong sign and think that they’re very compatible. Sadly, that’s the hardly the case.

 

8. People are not entirely themselves

People go to explore when they travel. Outwardly, of course, but inwardly too. They want to be someone they can’t be in their daily lives, and hence, either they are in the midst of going through a change or are not completely their own selves. Not a good pointer for falling in love.

 

9. People look for an escape while travelling

We travel to get a breath of fresh air, away from the mundane life we go through every day back where we came from. At this time, the last thing people need is another attachment when they are getting away from others.

 

10. Most importantly: Falling in love is easy, maintaining it is hard

When everything is good and perfect and looks nice to the eyes, it’s easy to fall in love with your co-traveller. Keeping the above points in mind, it will become extremely difficult to get back to the daily life of a relationship that looked great in photographs.

Think twice before taking any step. A wise thing to do would be to give it time, see if it fades, and if not, something can be worked out when both of you return to the comfort of your everyday lives.

 

Until then, keep on rolling under the stars!

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You Need Not Be Strong Everytime And Here’s Why It’s Okay

February 13, 2016, 1:46 am
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I considered myself to be an emotionally strong person. I always have. It’s not because I’m egoistic, or I’m self assured, it’s because people told me so.  When my dad passed away, I wasn’t told to grieve or cry it out, I was told to be strong for my mother. When my first love broke my heart, my friends didn’t tell me to vent, they told me to hold it in, or he might see I’m weak. The day I packed my bags to leave for an unknown country, leaving the place I called home for almost 18 years behind, no one had to tell me to be strong. Because by then I knew I had no choice in the matter.

But now, I stand before you stronger and tougher and let me tell you, it didn’t do me any good.

People around you will always tell you to be tougher, to be stronger, to be better, because they need something concrete to lean on. But don’t you too?  Over the years you’ve built a dam to keep your emotions at bay but who is it really helping? Because it isn’t helping you.

What the world won’t tell you is that it’s okay to cry all night about your broken heart, it’s okay to grieve the loss of someone who was your anchor in the world, it’s okay to be sad even though you’re surrounded by a horde of people.

It’s human to not be okay.

Because it’s the times when you open up, the times when you connect with your emotions and the times when you acknowledge the hurt that you actually start the healing process. By shoving everything at the bottom of an endless pit, you’re not dealing with the pain, you’re dismissing it as something that hasn’t just made a huge impact on your life. You’re giving it an opportunity to resurface and hurt you later.

But what about the people who you’ve become a support system for?

You’re the wall around which they’ve grown and blossomed, you’ve been the one to offer your shoulder when their world crashed and burned. If you let go, what happens to them? You’d be surprised to know that all it takes is one emotional cry for help from you. They’ll hold your hand when it gets too much, they’ll make you see the good things in life and they’ll remind of what an amazing person you are. Not how strong you are, but how good you are.

‘Through all the heartaches and the tears, through gloomy days and fruitless years; I do give thanks for now I know, these were the things that helped me grow”- David Lockett

I never thought much of this quote until recently. I decided to choose what I wanted to be in the world. I didn’t choose to be weak but I choose to be stronger by letting my emotions take their course. I choose to be true to my feelings.

And now, it’s your time to choose What’s it going to be?

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How Was It Even Possible For Gandhari To Deliver 101 Children? Here Are Some Theories.

February 13, 2016, 5:19 am
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A lot of brave men have achieved and exhibited feats of magnanimous courage and strength in the Mahabharath. They have been garlanded with accolades as well. On the other hand, there’s this woman who had given birth to 101 children, which is an incredible, almost unbelievable for a human being to do.

A mother to 101 children, who had never seen her children’s faces, and eventually came to know of their demise in the war, how did Gandhari survive the physical strain? If we’re at all to believe in the epic, should we simply buy the story that she was given a boon from a deity and leave it at that? It’s interesting how Gandhari, probably the strongest woman, or any human for that matter in the world, remained unsung.

Let’s look at some of the mythological theories and some scientific research that may throw a light upon this remarkable feat achieved by Gandhari.

1. Gandhari gave birth to a lump of flesh

It is said that Kunti, Pandu’s wife and Gandhari, Dhritharasthra’s wife were both expecting at the same time. Kunti gave birth to Yudhisthir but Gandhari had a prolonged pregnancy of two years. Raging with jealousy that Kunti’s son would now be the heir to the throne, Gandhari beat her pregnant belly which resulted in a strange miscarriage.

When she finally delivered, it was just a lump of flesh. Apparently, Vyasa cut hundred pieces of the flesh, immersed them in a pot of ghee and kept them under buried. A year later, each of the buried pieces grew out to be a son.

2. Was it IVF technolgy?

IVF or Vitro fertilization, is a complex technology used in treating fertility and genetic issues for the conception of a child. Vyasa’s procedure of reviving life out of the lump of flesh delivered by Gandhari, is quite similar to the embryo splitting technology and Vitro fertilization.

With the endless scientific wonders and achievements of ancient India which have lost in the sands of time, could it be a possibility that Vyasa had the knowledge of advanced IVF technology that helped him fertilize the foetus outside Gandhari’s womb?

3. The brothers were clones

Some are of the opinion that the technology of cloning was not really unknown to Indians at 3000 BC. Not only is it practically impossible for a woman to give birth to hundred children, it is even more ridiculous in this case because all the brothers were of same age.

A surgeon from the Maulana Azad Medical College in New Delhi, B G Matapurkar, who also holds a United States patent on technique of organ regeneration, is of the belief that the Kauravs were cloned by splitting the embryo into 100 parts.

4. They may not have been all her children

In the novel, Prava, by Kannada novelist S L Bhyrappa, an alternative theory has been put forward in order to explain the unearthly phenomenon of a woman giving birth to a hundred children. The theory suggests that Gandhari actually gave birth to only eight of the Kauravs and the rest were fathered by Dhritharastra with several maid-servants of the royal family.

This is probably why only the eldest few brothers were given significance in the epic while the rest being born of servants, were never described with much importance.

5. A philosophical explanation

Certain schools of though do not believe that Gandhari and Dhritharastra had a hundred children. Rather, it is believed that “hundred children” should be considered as a metaphor for something else. Dhritharastra was a blind man not only physically but also blind with ego. Gandhari, too, had blindfolded herself letting emotions get the better of her judgement.

Thus both are a symbol of blind mind and blind intellect. Therefore, the congruence of the two resulted in the breeding of something unholy, unrighteous and disastrous to epic proportion which is symbolized by a hundred sons of questionable morality.

6. Is their anyone else who has delivered so many children in recent times?

Apparently, there is. Valentina Vassilyeva, a wife of a Russian peasant has the record of giving birth to 69 children that included four sets of quadruplets, seven sets of triplets and sixteen pairs of twins. All the children were born in 27 births. However, they were born in a span of forty years between 1725-1765.

Therefore, considering Vassilyeva to be a woman of immense stamina, it is possible to deliver so many children in a lifetime but that does not explain Gandhari’s deliveries because all her children were of the same age.

 

Out of body birth or wombless  birth as been mentioned in several ancient epic texts of India. Mahabharath and Ramayan has several mentions of supra-normal births which may indicate the progress of ancient India in the fields of genetics, fertilization, artificial birth etc during 3000 B.C.

However, if Gandhari had actually given birth to her children, there is hardly any explanation other than out of body fertilization which again, is a study not entirely in the realm of modern science yet.

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19 Realistic Steps You Can Use To Become A Real Life Batman

February 13, 2016, 5:29 am
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Batman is probably the most popular comic book superhero ever. Everyone loves him, even his arch-nemesis The Joker. And why is that?

It is because he takes the route to fight crime as we all want to. To go and hold the bad guys by the neck and beat them up into a pulp before handing them to the authorities. We love him because even he is frustrated with the system in place to fight crime and criminals.

And we love him because he has the same weaknesses we have and the vulnerabilities that come with being human and not having any superpower.

And this lack of superpower didn’t stop him from becoming one of the strongest and intimidating superhero in comics. But can a normal human being become a Batman just because he wants to?

Yes, he can. But there are a lot of prerequisites before the training starts.

Because a lot of batman’s abilities are natural –

1. Good genes

You need a naturally good body – and not the kind that just looks good. You need a body that gains muscle that has functional strength. You also need a body that can recover very well after injuries.

Ever had a friend who would get recover from flu in just 2 days while you would lie in bed for a week? That kind of body. Higher lung function, no bodily abnormalities, perfect eyesight and no faulty genes that could give you disease later in life.

 

2. Awesome natural reflexes

Although reflexes can be improved by training, you still need a good amount of natural ability to have very quick responses.

A typical human being has a response time of 300ms. As Batman, you will be expected to have a lot less than that.

 

3. Inherited wealth

Inherited wealth is a bonus point, if you do not want to waste your time building a fortune first.

 

4. A very high intellect and steep learning curve

Batman is not a dumbass. You need to be intelligent. If you are not really intelligent, you need to compensate this by having a natural ability to grasp concepts quickly.

Becoming Batman will require learning a lot of new things over the years and the faster you do it, the younger you will be when you become Batman.

 

5. A naturally good moral compass

You need to have a calibrated moral compass inside you, and not a broken one. You cannot have a skewed sense of what is right and what is wrong. And most of such goodness comes from a very young age.

 

6. A high level of discipline

No lazy butts here. A drive to achieve the impossible through cruel discipline is required.

 

7. Virtual celibacy

No girlfriends. Unless she wears a mask and a cape too.

Now let’s take a realistic step by step approach so that you can become a realistic Batman.

 

8. Get into the Army

Get into the army as soon as you graduate high school, preferably as a cadet at an officer academy, and preferably a full-time 4-year course.

In the academy you will condition your body for the future it is going to be in. You will learn all about military strategies too.

 

9. Make it to the top special forces in that

Basic army training is good, but making into special forces will give you advanced training in infiltration, extraction, explosives, advanced hand-to-hand combat, reconnaissance, sabotage, and other advanced skills that will make you a skilled warrior.

 

10. Stay put on the front at all times so that you get combat experience

Just training won’t do a lot of good, as you have to keep yourself on the fighting front to sharpen these skills to a degree that you are virtually unkillable.

 

11. Quit after 5 years and get into an advanced course in Physics and Chemistry

Now that you have the training and the experience in combat, you need to start learning advanced science so that you can use it against the adversaries you will face in your life.

 

12. Leave it after 4 years and do a course in forensics

After you are done with your science education, you need to build detective skills. After all, Batman is the world’s greatest detective. You will ned this to look for clues normal people cannot see, and use them to track down people even in the urban jungle that are the cities.

 

13. Then buy a plot of land and build your hidden Batcave.

You will need to do a lot of clandestine construction work on a plot of land so that you have a place as a safe house after a whole day of vigilante action. It will house every gadget and equipment you will need to fight criminals.

 

14. Recruit people to build technology you will need

You will need a constant supply of high-tech gadgets to fight crime. Not just to fight criminals, but even to find crime as it happens at places.

 

15. Spend the next few years practicing with grapple hooks

Just the toys will not do you any good. You need to practice with them on the streets and while fighting crime. There will be a lot of hiccups and mistakes, and you will probably end up with a few broken bones, or maybe a lot of them too.

All of that is a normal day in the office for you.

 

16. Learn parkour and free running in the meantime

Jumping across rooftops without breaking your bones is also a good skill to have. And since rooftops are not exactly maneuverable by cops, you can make a perfect getaway.

 

17. Do freelance Personal Investigation stuff for some years too.

Personal investigation is a good way of learning to investigate personal crimes. Personal crimes are sometimes uglier than the run of the mill ones. It will also teach you to work on cases alone without anyone to back you up – just like Batman.

 

18. Meditate every day of your life and improve concentration

There is a reason Batman is so stern and controlled most of the times. He rarely laughs or cries because he is in total control of his mind.

He also gives mental advice to people like Superman and Wonder Woman, who come from “superior” species. He also has a laser focus on the tasks ahead of him, and most of the tasks that seem impossible, are easily accomplished just because Batman’s mind doesn’t waver.

 

19. Develop an iron will

A steady mind is good, but becomes a fortress with an iron will. We all know that Batman doesn’t kill. He has a set of principles that are governed with an iron fist.

After extensive learning of martial arts and ways to kill people, it is easy to lose control and kill a few, especially when you are as formidable as Batman.

But it takes much more courage and will to not kill when you are fighting an adversary.

And that is the reason why becoming Batman is cool. You have all the skills and power in the world to end anyone, but you still continue to do good.

Because in Batman’s case, absolute power doesn’t corrupt absolutely.

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8 Facts That Seem Impossible But Are Totally True

February 13, 2016, 5:39 am
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Every once in a while, someone gives you a piece of information that leaves you so dumbfounded that you question your entire existence…until you look it up. You’re proved wrong when you look it up, and your mind is blown as you again question your existence, pondering over it again.

Now do that 8 times! 😜

1. A typical cloud weighs around 1.1 million pounds.

The typical density of a cumulus cloud (white fluffy one) is 0.5 grams per cubic metre (about the size of two chairs together). An average cloud is 1 km cubical. Calculating the density and volume leads us to the result that it contains 50,00,00,000 grams of water. If 1.1 million pounds is too much to imagine, try 100 elephants.

Fact source

 

2. Every year, 2 out of 3 Australians will get diagnosed for skin cancer.

There is a hole in the ozone layer above parts of Australia and it lets in a lot of UV rays than normal. Recent weather apps show a UV alert over Sydney from 7 AM to 6 PM, meaning you can get affected if you’re out a lot in that time period. And since Australians have a general lifestyle of staying outdoors, the problem has worsened.

Fact source

 

3. If you remove the empty spaces in atoms, we’d be the size of a single Gems.

An atom’s mass is decided by its nucleus. An average atom is approximately 1,00,000 times larger than that of its nucleus, which means that everything else is mostly empty space. One person is just the sum total of the weight of their nuclei. So the entire human population of 7.3 billion people can fit inside a single Gems if the empty space in all atoms is removed.

Fact source

 

4. 23 Exabytes of data was created in the year 2002. We now create and replicate that amount every 7 days.

eb

In a study conducted by UC Berkley, 5 exabytes of data were ‘created’ in 2002, and other 18 exabytes were ‘replicated’ via CDs, phone, internet, etc. To put it into perspective, 1 terabyte is 1024 Gigabytes. 1 Petabyte is 1024 Terabytes. 1 Exabyte is 1024 Exabytes. That is the amount of data created and replicated today in a week. That is almost 575 crore Blu-ray movies of 4 GB. 😲

Fact source

 

5. Charles Darwin and Steve Irwin both owned the same tortoise.

Her name was Harriet, and reports say that Charles Darwin picked her up when she was a baby from the Galápagos Islands. She was then kept in the Australia Zoo owned by Steve Irwin (the crocodile hunter) and his wife Terri. Harriet lived on to be 175 years before passing away in 2006.

Fact source

 

6. Death by coconuts is 15 times that of death by sharks.

Coconuts have been known to cause death if fallen from a great height directly on people’s heads. A study in 2002 showed that 150 people die globally every year as a result of coconuts falling on their heads. Death by sharks is less than 10 per year, globally. You do the math.

Fact source

 

7. 1 out 5 mammals on the earth are bats.

Bats and their different species are in abundance on the planet. About 1200 different species have been identified. This means that out of all mammals on the earth, 20% are bats and their species. And you thought Batman was a legend.

Fact source

 

8. The budget for sending the Curiosity Rover to Mars is less than the global military expenditure for just 13 hours.

$2.5 Billion. Can you believe it!? NASA and the US Government earned a lot of flak for this much of spending. If you go to calculate, $2.5 billion over approximately 10 years comes up to $312 million a year. This means a single dollar for every single person living in the US.

Fact source

Keep scratching those heads and checking, and double-checking, and cross-checking the facts above. See you in the next one!

 

What are some unbelievable facts that you know? Tell us in the comments!

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13 Interesting Facts About Memories You Never Knew About

February 13, 2016, 5:57 am
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Memories.

What do we know about these things that float in our heads besides what Freud and Jung tell us about our psychology and our dear little brain? Memories are always shrouded in the mystery land between reality and imagination and the brain is the king!

Here are a few facts about memories one doesn’t really think about much but are just as true.

1. We start forming memories after 20 weeks of being born.

Fact Source

 

2. We can never fill up the storage capacity of our brain.

Fact Source

 

3. Sleep is necessary for the formation of long-term memories.

Fact Source

 

4. The only reason we may lose memories in old age is because as we get old we exercise our brain lesser.

Fact Source

 

5. We often create false memories by fabricating an event and repeating it to ourselves enough times that it becomes true for us.

Fact Source

 

6. We remember more of what looks out of the ordinary of the pattern we are used to.

Fact Source

 

7. The more we think about a memory the stronger it becomes.

Fact Source

 

8. Also, procrastination actually helps in forming a stronger memory.

Fact Source

 

9. Our brain might be programmed to forget the initial years of our life.

Fact Source

 

10. Walking through a door makes you forget what we had come into the room for.

Fact Source

 

11. Being sleep deprived may make us remember something that never happened.

Fact Source

 

12. New brain connections are made in our brain every time we form a new memory.

Fact Source

 

13. Positive memories are more likely to be lost than the negative ones.

Fact Source

Let’s see how many of them you remember! 😀

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