Have you ever said to someone that you will be friends until you die, and you will never forget them? Well, it might even last longer than that…. Anywhere from 7 to 10 minutes to be exact(depending on which study/article you read, click the numbers for the links) Scientists have proven that you can remember someone after you are dead, because a person’s brain has 7 to 10 minutes of activity after they die, during which it replays memories of the person’s life. They may also still hear you as hearing is the last sense to go! What would you say to your closest friends if you only had 7 to 10 minutes to express everything?
Ok, so this one is more fiction than fact, but it is a well-known legend….that counts, right? Have you ever struggled to get to sleep at night? Or woken up thinking of someone randomly and been unable to get back to sleep? According to psychological facts, the inability to fall asleep at night means you’re awake in someone else’s dream?! The next time this happens, maybe it is an idea to ask your friends if any of them dreamt about you! It might even reveal which of your friends is most emotionally invested in your friendship! And of course, confirm your place in the friendship as the eccentric one! Haha According to this article from dreams.co.uk by Leigh Horan, this is believed to be true in Japanese culture! It’s a nice idea… a dream perhaps?!
Are you a reader from the USA? I’m glad I don’t live there, because according to this article (Warning – link depicts scary graphic) on Thoughtcatalogue.com by Jerome London, you are likely to meet (or pass in the street perhaps) approximately 12 up to 36 or even 41 serial killers in your lifetime without knowing it…. If you’re interested in the maths behind this theory, check out Leo Qin’s post from Leozqin.me, which appears to be about 5 years old, here. The good news is that it is extremely unlikely that your friend is a killer…. On the other hand the bad news is that it isn’t impossible either! Would you want to know? Might be safer not to know? Either way, hopefully you wouldn’t find out the hard way!!
Have you ever wondered if a friend actually likes you, or if you like them? According to this article on news24.com written by Salome Gurgenidze on 05 Feb 2015 for Women24, science says it only takes four minutes or less to “ fall in like” (decide if you like someone or not.) And it has less to do with what you say and more to do with tone and speed of voice and body language. If someone doesn’t like you almost straight away it is unlikely they ever will. So if you are chasing after someone, trying to get them to like you, it’s time to stop wasting your time! In just under four minutes you could potentially be meeting someone who does like you, which seems more productive. If it is you who is uncertain, don’t feel bad. You don’t have to like everyone, even if you can’t exactly pinpoint why. I encourage you to be cordial, but don’t mislead anyone into thinking you are available for a friendship you aren’t sure you want to pursue. You too, could be meeting someone else that sparks with you in more meaningful ways in under 5 minutes! If you aren’t sure, move along until you are!
Do you prefer the security of a group friendship? Does it feel safer to you to blend in with the crowd?! Everybody knows there is safety in numbers, right? Maybe not, according to the bystander effect, scientific studies have discovered your friends are less likely to rush to your aide if there is a group of others around them and you, each one waiting for someone else to act! (If you are interested to know more about the bystander effect, check out this link from Psychology Today about it!) It reminds me a bit of the below meme. So if something is to go wrong next time you are out with a group of friends, don’t wait for anyone else to act or respond, be the person who does, and the others are likely to follow! Sorry to say, to my personal friends, I tend to freeze in emergency situations, so do NOT follow my lead, nor rely on me to save you!! Haha
Have you ever brought a friend to tears, but weren’t entirely sure if they were tears of joy or pain and sadness? Well apparently if you pay close attention, the body will give will give you a clue! If they are tears of joy, the first tear will fall from the right eye, however tears of pain will start flowing from the left eye! I’m not too sure if it has anything to do with the heart being on the left side, where things are felt more deeply, but it is a nifty way to remember this trick in future! (I cannot find a source to say that this is scientifically proven, so chances are this is another fiction or legend, but test it out anyway, and see what you think?)
What about the friend who doesn’t seem to be happy unless she has something to complain about? We all have at least one negative friend (who, me?! Never! Lol) who never seems to see the bright side. She always has something bad or snarky to say, even her humour is dark! Try as you might, nothing seems to improve her mood or state of mind? Well, studies have shown you might be wasting your time trying, as according to this article on sciencedaily.com there is new evidence to suggest that negativity could be genetic! If there is a certain gene linked to negativity, and your friend was born with that gene, you may just need to be the Pooh Bear to her Eye-Ore!
Speaking of friends with a dark sarcastic sense of humour, they may know more than they care to let on. If you believe everything that is written on the internet, which you shouldn’t, It is said that sarcastic people are more likely to be mind-readers! This article on lifehack.org by Margeilyn Musser goes into more detail of 10 reasons sarcastic people are smarter than you think! Or perhaps just realists who understand the likelihood of an estimated response to things at any given time. These people are more observant and read body language too, so it isn’t all in what you say or do, but also what you don’t that gives away the clues. Similarly, if you have a friend who always seems to know and call you out on even the tiniest of white lies, the chances are they are a pretty good liars themselves. This is what makes your lies stand out to them, they are better at it than you! So be careful how much you trust them!! For more information check out this article on scientificamerican.com by Travis Riddle on 24th July 2012.
What about the friend who is so hard to read, because they don’t say much at all?! Do they even have an opinion on anything?? The chances are, they don’t share their thoughts because they don’t think you are ready or open to hearing them. These friends will not argue what they know to be true, and will not waste breath opening up to people not on the same level! This doesn’t mean they don’t like you, but it does usually mean they don’t agree with you and don’t think there is any point in trying to correct your closed minded thinking! If you want to know their real thoughts, express that perhaps you are wrong or missing something and ask for guidance, then they are more likely to share. This shows a more open minded approach from you which they find more engaging. I actually don’t know if that is a fact, more so a belief. But what is a fact is that not everybody has a monologue of thoughts to share in the ways we do, making them harder to articulate! Which is cool, but also kinda creepy! Check it out here on mymodernmet.com written by Jessica Stewart on 20th Feb 2020.
Have you ever had a friend who was seemingly confident, cool calm and collected? This is the friend that you have never seen cry. They are always the strong one and never crack under pressure! Have you ever idolised them and wished you could be less sensitive, more resilient like they are, not caring what others think? Well, think again. According to this factoid on themindsjournal.com, pretending not to care is actually the habit of someone who generally cares the most as an emotional defence mechanism! These people tend to have friends who lean on them for support and they are very interested in your life without giving much away themselves. Try showing a real interest in them, and watch how they blossom under your love and attention. They just need someone to show them it is safe to be vulnerable, and authentic but it will take patience and years for them to fully open up and rediscover themselves, so hang in there. Fact or fiction, I’ll let you decide, but it feels like there is truth to this!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!
❤ Love,
Your Best Friend ForNever
xx
I sure am!! haha