The surveys have flaws, but many of them over the last decade have found that over 50% of Icelanders say they either believe in elves or say it’s possible they exist.
Source: “Elves and hidden people: Do Icelanders really believe in elves? — Iceland Magazine
Okunoshima (aka Rabbit Island) is a small island located in the Inland Sea of Japan, 43 miles east of the city of Hiroshima. It used to be used for weapons testing but is now inhabited by adorable bunnies.
Source: “EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT VISITING OKUNOSHIMA RABBIT ISLAND” — Wander Eat Write
a group of porcupines is called a prickle
Source: “Porcupine – Erethizon Dorsaum” — AZ Animals
You probably already know your dog is happy to be around you. They’re pretty good at showing it. Your behavior towards your dog is what matters most. But once they feel secure in your presence, your scent makes dogs feel safe.
Have you ever smelled a scent that reminded you of someone (perfume, for example) and had it stir your emotions?
Gregory Berns, a neuroeconomist at Emory University, performed functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) on dogs (don’t worry, he taught them to sit still).
“We started the dog project about three years ago to get around this problem that we really don’t know what dogs are thinking or what they’re experiencing,” Berns said, according to National Geographic (cited below).
The goal was to see the activity of the brain’s nerve cells in order to get a hint of what they might be thinking. Of course, there’s a lot of interpretation to do to turn those images into ideas about doggy feelings. But they studied the part of the brain that is associated with reward.
According to NatGeo: “In the new study, Berns and his team performed fMRI on 12 dogs, including 5 service or therapy dogs and his own dog, Callie, to test their response to biological odors. The experiment dogs were presented with five scents on gauze pads: a familiar human, an unfamiliar human, a dog that lived in their household, an unfamiliar dog, and their own scent. The researchers found that the dogs’ caudate nucleus, an area of the brain associated with positive expectations, was most activated by the scent of the familiar person.”
The results suggested that dogs can pick out their owner’s familiar scent, AND it tends to produce a positive reaction that shows up in the reward center of the brain.
The dogs didn’t react to the other scents in any way that would indicate they had an emotional reaction to them.
While this is sweet and all, the research will be beneficial for service animals.
“What’s more, scanning potential service dogs for enhanced brain responses may pinpoint canines that are most up to the task. Training service dogs is very expensive, he said, and only 30 to 40 percent of those trained are placed with a person. Overall, Berns believes the dogs experience something akin to pleasure when they smell their owners.” — WTF fun facts
Source: “Dog Brains Link Pleasure With Owner’s Scent” — National Geographic
From physical photo albums to scrolling far back in your social media history, there’s something about looking at old photos that tends to make us happy. In fact, research has shown it can be downright relaxing. For those not skilled at meditation, looking at old photos can be even more relaxing than meditating!
Make fun of photo-takers all you’d like (and we’ll join you for the ridiculous Instagram posers), but there’s some serious value in documenting happy moments.
In an article posted about the research on Digital Camera World (cited below), UK behavioral psychologist Jo Hemmings noted that “Taking the time to look back on our treasured memories can be truly beneficial for our wellbeing as it can help to evoke feelings of positivity and happiness. Because of this, and especially at times like this, we should take more time to appreciate and look back on them.”
If you want to crush your stress and boost your well-being, try a few tips that have made people happy during research studies:
Source: “It’s official! Looking at old photos is more relaxing than meditating” — Digital Camera World
Have you ever met a fancier penguin than Sir Nils Olav III? If you’re not impressed by his knighthood, then you may be impressed by the military title he received on Sugust 22, 2016 that made him Brigadier Sir Nils Olav.
Nils Olav is a king penguin – the second smallest type of penguin after an emperor penguin.
The name comes from a lieutenant (Nils Egelien) in the Norwegian King’s Guard who became interested in a penguin colony during a military exercise in the 1960s. When the Guard returned to Edinburgh in 1972, Egelien arranged for the regiment to adopt a penguin as its mascot. The penguin was named Nils Olav, after both the soldier and King Olav V of Norway.
Since 1972, there have been three penguins bearing the name. They have all been given a increasing rank of military honor over the years as well. The ranks pass down to the next penguin when one dies. We are now on Nils Olav III.
In 2016, after moving up the ranks and being knighted with permission of the king of Norway, the penguin became Brigadier Sir Nils Olav.
According to the Edinburgh Zoo (cited below), where the penguin resides, “The prestigious title was awarded during a special ceremony which was attended by over 50 uniformed soldiers of His Majesty the King of Norway’s Guard, who are taking part in The Royal Edinburgh Military Tattoo this year. Sir Nils paraded his way up Penguin Walk, whilst inspecting the soldiers of the Guard.”
Barbara Smith, Acting Chief Executive Officer for the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, said: “We are honoured to host His Majesty the King of Norway’s Guard as they bestow a prestigious new title upon our king penguin, Sir Nils Olav. It is a very proud moment and represents the close collaboration between our two countries, Scotland and Norway.”
