In the XX and XXI centuries, scientists seem to have learned everything about the human body. But nevertheless, there are still several secrets that still remain unsolved.
Some of these mysterious mysteries of the human body are completely everyday things that we do every day and even many times a day, almost without realizing it.
Yawn
Among them is yawning. For example, you probably yawned countless times today, and hopefully not too many, while reading this article. You yawned because you were tired, bored, or simply because the person next to you did it.
But have you ever thought about why we yawn? Or why is it highly contagious? Scientists have several hypotheses on this score, but not a single main one.
Some suggest that yawning regulates our brain temperature. Others say that it helps us move from one state to another, for example, from sleep to wakefulness or from infatuation to boredom. There is also a version that it simply invigorates our body, keeping it in good shape.
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And the more mysterious is the fact that yawning is a highly contagious condition. Almost like an infection. Neuroscientist and psychology professor Robert Provine has his own point of view on yawning. In a recent interview with Healthline, he stated the following:
Yawning brings us closer and is seen in animals. But only those who live in close communities. For example, in lions, monkeys and dogs. However, although we seem to have gotten to understand its nature, we still know very little about this phenomenon.
Laughter
In this sense, yawning is very similar to laughter. Laughter and its ability to "infect" the people around you with fun is also actually quite a mysterious trait. No one has yet figured out why we are doing this and for what purpose. This, like yawning, is suggested to be related to social bonds.
It is possible that this is some kind of evolutionary trait, which indicates that society is in a calm state and nothing threatens it. Thus, our laughter shows other people in our group that we are all right, and then they too laugh to show others around them that there is no immediate danger nearby either.
A social view of this phenomenon helps explain why we laugh less when we are alone, but the true reason for laughter and its contagious nature remains unclear.
This, however, does not explain why some people laugh at certain things and others do not, and why in some cultures, laughter is actually sometimes a sign of discomfort or even anxiety.
Redness with embarrassment
Let's move on to one more phenomenon. What Happens When You Are Confused? You blush. And many people also blush, and some do not blush. That is, this is another secret.
We still don't know the answer to why our body reacts this way. The embarrassment becomes even more intriguing over the fact that humans are the only animals that do this.
So far we only know how this happens, not why. Redness is mainly caused by the dilation of blood vessels in response to adrenaline from stress. And this expansion allows adrenaline to flow faster and more smoothly through your circulatory system.
However, another mystery is that when embarrassed, only our face turns red. No other part of the skin of our body reacts like this. Also, embarrassment can be caused not by stress, but by positive emotions. like a compliment.
Why should only our faces turn red in such situations? What possible goals or benefits might our flushed faces receive from a nature standpoint? And why does this happen even in positive situations, such as meeting the man or woman of your dreams?
This is so puzzling that Charles Darwin himself once said about it: "Redness is more peculiar and more human than all other expressions of emotion."
Again, there are many ideas why we blush, but there are no definitive answers. One of the main theories is that blushing serves as a social, non-verbal form of apology. That is, it means that when you do something that you know was a mistake or misunderstood, you subconsciously blush noticeably to show others that you understand and regret it, visually showing everyone your regret and remorse.
This has actually been tested experimentally, and studies have shown that people who blush get forgiven more quickly than those who don't. However, like the other phenomena we have considered above, this is only a hypothesis.
Left and right hand
Another mystery is why some people are born left-handed and most people are right-handed. Whenever we play, exercise, or do anything else, we always have one dominant hand.
But why did evolution do this to humans? Wouldn't it be more convenient to use both hands equally? This mystery has long puzzled scientists. In addition, the constant number of left-handers and right-handers, regardless of countries and cultures, remains a mystery. Right-handers are always 7-9 people out of ten.
One theory says that the use of one hand or another is associated with parts of the brain. For example, the department responsible for fine motor skills is in the left hemisphere, so right-handers are in the majority. But this is not always the case. Many right-handers have been found with speech centers in the right hemisphere and many left-handed people with speech centers in the left hemisphere. That is, the link to the regions of the brain is not reliable.
There is also the fact that animals that do not have complex speech functions and fine motor skills can also be distinguished between left and right handed people.
It is curious that just a couple of decades ago, left-handers in schools were trying to retrain, even by force. Lefties were considered almost a defect.
Unique fingertip patterns
Look at your hands and on your fingertips you will see patterns and curls that are unique to each person. Have you ever wondered why nature needed to create this?
At first, it was believed that these patterns help a person to hold objects in their hands. But in recent years, this theory has become increasingly dubious.
In 2009, the Journal of Experimental Biology published a report by scientist Peter Warman of the University of Manchester in England, who argued that fingerprints do not seem to improve grip at all and, moreover, they make the grip worse.
Varman wrote that one can accept that the fingertip patterns are like a car tire pattern that improves traction. However, in the case of our fingers, we get less grip on the object than we would if we did not have these patterns on our fingers.
Other theories about finger patterns say that they help drain water out of our hands to keep our grip dry, that they somehow increase sensory sensitivity. But so far all these theories and patterns on the fingers are indeed a very complex evolutionary puzzle.
