One way to make life more fulfilling and exciting is to simply have an open mind. A lifelong curiosity and an unquenchable thirst for knowledge can let you reinvent yourself repeatedly. After all, there’s always something new you can learn, even though sometimes it may be hard to find the energy and motivation to keep going.
Thanks to the Facts by Guff Instagram account, we can receive our daily dose of knowledge by reading the completely random, unexpected, and unusual tidbits of information they share every day. Whether it’s enlightening their followers about goosebumps, baby elephants, or diamond rain, it certainly triggers a desire to know more.
Bored Panda has collected some of the best facts from the page, so continue scrolling and upvote the ones you might not have known about! Although just to warn you—once you get started, you’ll probably want to keep reading until your curiosity is satisfied.
Psst! Be sure to check our previous posts full of cool and interesting trivia right here, here, and here.
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This Instagram account was created by Guff, a data-driven content company that aspires to enlighten people with daily trivia and wisdom. They have amassed more than 825K followers by sharing different bits of information every single day. Unexpected and fun facts seem to often catch people off guard in the best possible way, and many think that it's worth their time.
Staying curious and open to new ideas is not only enjoyable but also provides us with a dopamine rush. Whether it’s learning something new about history, science, art, or even modern pop culture, there are many benefits to keeping our brain cells active.
A study by researchers at UC Berkeley’s Haas School of Business has found that our brains are hungry and always willing to learn new details about the world. Researchers revealed that "new information acts on the brain’s dopamine-producing reward system in the same way as money or food."
"To the brain, information is its own reward, above and beyond whether it’s useful,” co-author of the study and associate professor Ming Hsu, Ph.D. told Neuroscience News. “And just as our brains like empty calories from junk food, they can overvalue information that makes us feel good but may not be useful—what some may call idle curiosity.”
However, knowledge usually becomes useful when it’s put into context. While many think that learning cool and interesting facts is a waste of time, it’s quite the opposite. Sure, you can find out everything you need with just a few searches and clicks on hyperlinks but it won't do any good to your critical thinking skills.
Scott H. Young, author of Ultralearning: Accelerate Your Career, Master Hard Skills and Outsmart the Competition, wrote that factual knowledge determines the speed you can acquire new knowledge on a topic. "The more you know, the faster you learn." It also is an important driver of our reading comprehension and other high-level skills, for example problem-solving. When you’re reading a book, it’s much easier to understand the deeper meaning if you’re already familiar with the topic.
"You can’t reason critically or creatively without first having amassed a large amount of factual knowledge," Young explained. "This is why the existence of Google and Wikipedia doesn’t reduce the need to learn facts. Something being a Google search away doesn’t mean it’s available in the background to allow you to parse new information easily."
If you find yourself wanting to expand your mental horizons, the Wall Street Journal bestselling author suggested to simply be curious. By reading more articles and books, and by watching a variety of shows or movies, you always surround yourself with new knowledge. If it's hard to understand everything at first, don’t be discouraged and try to look it up.
Young advised not to be afraid of topics that are new to you: "Knowledge is exponential, so if you’re not used to reading something, you’ll learn a bit less. However, as you read more about it, you can read faster and smarter." So picking up a book that might be "above your level" could take longer but will get easier with time.
Just remember, we are the ones using the newly learned facts and putting them into context. So if you’re wondering whether you’re ever going to use this stuff, one day you actually might. Sometimes, our brains are capable of the most wonderful things, and bringing two completely unrelated ideas into one is certainly one of them.
I'm not a fan of his acting, but Keanu seems to be a genuinely good person.
True, so whatever you do don't think about how they feel when their new babies are taken away and placed in a field where they can still hear each other's cries. I live in the midst of cattle farms, and it's heartbreaking.
Charasmatic megafauna get a lot of attention. There are probably thousands of species that are less likable that are in the same situation.
My kid goes to a Montessori school where students clean up everyday. I think it's a good idea - helps kids feel responsible for their school, which helps them become responsible citizens.
I'm always torn when it comes to things like this. On the one hand, I don't feel like the government should tell us "you can't do that because it isn't good for you". Your not my mom, back off. Sugar isn't good for me either. The last person I dated wasn't good for me. On the other hand, I'm all for the government telling us it's the law to wear a seatbelt, or that my doctor can't smoke crack before he operates on me. And this, Ladies and Gentlemen, is why I am not a politician. Glad I'm not the one who has to make the decisions on these kinds of things!
I remember watching this on tv with my dad before he passed away. We were so happy for him!
Then I pity those who don't. I have no emotional stability at all
I was digging in our garden and found a chest full of gold coins. I wanted to run straight home to tell my wife about it. Then I remembered why I was digging in our garden.
A guy call 911. I need help, I think my friend is dead. 911: calm down, first we need to be sure that he is really dead. Hear some shots in background. Yes, now he is. Can you guys come now ?
Load More Replies...I may be of higher intelligence, but I am *not* more emotionally stable.
mood- if anything im WAY less mentally stable than a lot of people
Load More Replies...In the comments section of BP, I see a bunch of people who get offended at the most vanilla $hit.
Also a bunch of edgy teens who think their decades-old jokes are “dark humor.”
Load More Replies...It comes with the job. My mom worked labor and delivery for 30 years, then switched to hospice. She tells everyone that she helped bring them in to the world, now she is taking them out. Or that people are dying to see her.
Load More Replies...Dark humor is describing how I communicate on a daily basis. I have no emotionnal stability though
Wait this actually makes sense. Me and Friend 1 have tons of dark humor and practically get straight A's, meanwhile Friend 2 is kind of innocent and has grades all over the board... the emotional stability part seems to be flipped though
This is just a generalization. My dad had an IQ of over 160 and very stable but definitely did not like any dark humor. The day Challenger blew up, at dinner, I joked at the dinner table Noooo Houston, Bud Light. OMG, he was furious.
I like dark humor, but this sounds a lot like the patently false claim that people who swear a lot were more honest and people who lie a lot were smarter.
Yes and the “sarcastic people are smarter” one too. They all suddenly share how smart they think they are lol
Load More Replies...seems if you hover your mouse over the image it gives you the details of the report.
literally the reason I appreciate dark humor is that I am emotionally unstable...
People say "Dumb people are always happy" but the smartest people are those who can be happy in the worst of times, because they can separate the misery from the minutiae.
what- then by that logic I should be mental stable. my brain: you had like 15 mental breakdowns listening to a song me: nope
If this is true then I should be able to rival Einstein's intellect, hands down!
I love how I can feel like a genius based on what is on some of what's posted. Like Einstein pointed out though, just because a fish can't climb a tree, didn't make it less intelligent. I can't breathe underwater or know what's safe to eat. Measuring intelligence is a sticky wicket. Rote memory of dates and info is way different that the description of what's going on.
the higher intelligence is true for me, but im not sure about the emotionally stable... i LOVE dark humor, its like cancer, its funnier when kids get it. (This is ajoke pls dont cancel me im sorry if i offended anyone)
I must be one of the most intelligent people in my state then!!!!
They’re dumb and claiming that they like dark humor and that they’re smart and unstable. Every single one of them.
Load More Replies...i am not allowed to joke on holidays because they are too dark. and im actually pretty dumb
You all think you're emotionally unstable...until you're around someone who can't find the humor in things. That's borderline psychotic. You all (and me) are fine.
I wouldn't know anything about emotional stability but I'm definitely smarter than the average bear!
Everyone thinks they're smarter than average, especially the idiots. I don't mean that personally, but it's true, the dumbest people think they're the most brilliant.
Load More Replies...Is what you? What you like? You’re asking if you liking dark jokes is you?
Load More Replies...Well I think it's really funny my cousin stuck it in my mouth when I asked him what sausage taste like...does that count???
I love dark humor as long as it doesn't really hurt anyone! Or course dementia may be setting in!
posting things like this is also a cry for help
Load More Replies...Fun fact: Men who kiss other peoples' wifes befor going to work live an average of 5 years shorter.
That's so sad ☹️. Glad they managed to convince her not to. Not just because she's a celeb, but because she's a human
Several of these so-called "facts" are misleading, unverified rumours, or downright false. Looks like Guff is not a source you can trust. But that might not be surprising coming from a content company that sells "hyper-engagement" and churning out content that is primarily designed to "drive human emotions." 👎
I very much welcome this addition. Extra, easy to access context is always a boon.
Load More Replies...I would say most of these "facts" are full of crap! They have no proof of what they are saying and most of them are so ridiculous that I had to stop scrolling.
But i find the news here interesting and sometimes double check on other sites to verify it if its legit
Load More Replies...This is the type of post I like... I get so disappointed when the title of a post is awesome but then you open it and it's nothing but words... pictures add a little pizazz especially when it refers to a person or place so that way you can get a better idea of what it looks like...
This was surprisingly sad, but I'm happy to have seen it. If you don't tear up Googling "Pocho crocodile funeral", you're not really living.
In scrolling through answers a lot of down votes were given if the interesting facts were not interesting and it was so stated!
Several of these so-called "facts" are misleading, unverified rumours, or downright false. Looks like Guff is not a source you can trust. But that might not be surprising coming from a content company that sells "hyper-engagement" and churning out content that is primarily designed to "drive human emotions." 👎
I very much welcome this addition. Extra, easy to access context is always a boon.
Load More Replies...I would say most of these "facts" are full of crap! They have no proof of what they are saying and most of them are so ridiculous that I had to stop scrolling.
But i find the news here interesting and sometimes double check on other sites to verify it if its legit
Load More Replies...This is the type of post I like... I get so disappointed when the title of a post is awesome but then you open it and it's nothing but words... pictures add a little pizazz especially when it refers to a person or place so that way you can get a better idea of what it looks like...
This was surprisingly sad, but I'm happy to have seen it. If you don't tear up Googling "Pocho crocodile funeral", you're not really living.
In scrolling through answers a lot of down votes were given if the interesting facts were not interesting and it was so stated!