Also coined in as psychedelics, hallucinogens are responsible for altering a person’s mood, perception and other mental processes. The history of hallucinogens date back in the past centuries wherein people take drugs to alter the states for religious and spiritual purposes.

Research suggests that hallucinogens do their tricks in the brain’s cortex where in the drugs will be able to activate specific receptors in the brain that are normally triggered by certain brain cells. But then, not all of the known compounds that activate the receptors lead to mind-bending trips. Some result to really scary sensations according to some of the test subjects. They referred to these scary events as “bad trip”.

Scientists are still fascinated at how brains are very mysterious whether it is on drugs or not. As further studies are being conducted, slowly but surely, the answers are being laid down.

Yahoo! News - There was a research recently conducted that displayed a pretty alarming fact: more than half of gun deaths are suicides. Surprisingly, gun owners use their weapons on themselves.

Back in 2005, 55 percent of the nation’s nearly 31,000 gun deaths were tallied. Furthermore, there was nothing unique about this number. Why? Because gun related suicides have outnumbered homicides for 20 of the last 25 years.

By using guns as a suicide method, it has a 90 percent success rate. Jumping from high places only has a 34 percent success rate and drug overdose only has 2 percent success rate. Other methods are not as lethal as a gunfire.

If a person has a handgun at home, that he could possibly use for self defense, then he has a handgun that he can also use to commit suicide or cause domestic violence.

You may have noticed when you came to visit a friend that there are things that they keep that appear to be of no use but it is still being treasured. If a person is given a choice between $100 and a pair of LeBron James shoes, most likely he would choose the money but if he was given the shoes first and then asked if he would trade it for $100, most likely, the shoes will be chosen.

This is called the endowment effect which most researchers refer to as the poster child of strange behavior. Chimps show this behavior too.

Their research suggests that people are more motivated in protecting their belongings out of fear rather than as enjoyment. Ownership is also another factor. If you are attached to a a certain object like for example your wedding ring or the jersey that won you the MVP award, then the endowment effect becomes more intensified.

So why are we then afraid to lose our stuff? Its not like we will die if we lose that jersey right? But then, our brains may think that we will. There’s a good side to this - we get to know the true worth of our things and not just the monetary value. Our things have a certain good memory attached to them.

*Source: LiveScience.com

Who would have thought that during this times of difficulties and anxieties, happiness is still on the rise all over the world in recent years. Researchers have found an upbeat outlook on people as attributed to the economic growth in previously poor countries and a rising social tolerance on minority groups and women.

Even the researchers were astonished by these findings. They have often believed that it is almost impossible to raise an entire country’s level of happiness. But then it looks like even the simplest gestures of the government can satisfy people.

Based on the findings in over 52 countries that involved 350,000 people, a big chunk of them are very satisfied for the reason that they are able to live their life the way they want to. Democracy is important to these people. Also, they want respect if in case they choose to be lesbians or gays. By far, the biggest reason is freedom to be themselves.

You see, it is not just the economy that can make a person happy, the simple acceptance of a person is a big help in contributing to the entire country’s happiness.

*Source: LiveScience.Com

In case you did not know, 9 out of 10 women are affected by PMS or menstrual symptoms. But as a counter to that, diet can totally make a difference. How? If you pay a little more attention to your digestive system, you will be able to avoid bowel problems. As you can see, the digestive system is important because excess hormones are being broken down by the liver and excreted. If constipated, some hormones may be reabsorbed.

How do we fight this? Simple. Get the recommended five portions of fruit and vegetables a day. This will ensure a good intake of nutrients along with valuable fibre to avoid bowel problems. You should drink plenty of water as well.

You must look after your blood sugar level as well. To do this, eat regularly and reduce the intake of salt, sugar and caffeine. Drink your vitamins as well.

Follow these and you are on your way to a clean and healthy living lifestyle.

There were a group of researchers who have conducted a study about a person’s diet. They have come to a conclusion that those who think more about their own death tend to over eat or over spend.

They have conducted several experiments in Europe and the United States. One of which is a group of people were asked to write an essay about their own feelings about their own deaths. There was a controlled group that wrote about a very painful procedure. Both were given cookies and to the researcher’s surprise, they found out that people who wrote about their deaths gulped down more cookies and have indicated their desire to buy more at the grocery store.

This have concluded that people will consume healthy and unhealthy food when they are thinking about the idea that they will die someday. Those who have low self esteem are more susceptible to over consumption as well. The researchers also noted that when people are reminded of their mortality, they become uncomfortable about the things that they have already done in their lives. The only escape mechanism that people tend to look forward to is to over eat and to over spend.

If you can turn your emotions and your facial expressions into a remote control, that would be really cool right? There was a computer science Ph.D student who thought of this idea and somehow brought it to life. The device that he created would help by reading facial expressions and then altering the playback speed of a video taped lecture.

Yes, this device is being used for studying purposes. As students, we make certain facial expressions when we encounter something difficult like less blinking of the eyes or frowning. Smiling and nodding could indicate that the lecture is being understood properly. This device would be very beneficial for those who are studying in a video taped class.

The team’s next step now is to determine what are the other facial movements that one person can make when they are exposed to difficult or easy lecture notes. They could then train and program a certain computer model that would move on with the lecture or slow down and keep a slow pace until such time that the facial expression would show a change that would indicate the fact that the lecture is already understood.

When it comes to penises, the length matters more to men than they do to most women. This is according to a new study that is being conducted. There are about 90 percent of women who actually prefer wide penis than a long one. 85 percent of women reported that they are being satisfied with their partner’s penis size which is compared to only 55 percent for men. This means that men see length as something that would uplift their personality. But then of course, the issue of attractiveness to women is much more complex. Penis size is not exactly in the list of priorities as compared to a man’s personality and their external grooming.

According to the results of 12 studies, they found out that the average erect penis is about 5.5 to 6.2 inches long and around 4.7 to 5.1 inches in circumference.

There are a lot of myths when it comes to the male genitals. One of the false myths is the fact that the size of the penis differs according to race. There is no actual connection to it. Another myth is that older men have smaller genitals as compared to younger men. There is connection either.

Actually, there is this small penis syndrome that hounds most men. They think that their penis is small. Some start during their childhood days because they tend to compare it with adults. Some even put the blame on the movies and colored ads that they see during their teenage years.

While there are men who are anxious about the size of their penises, there are drugs and surgeries that answer the question.

Suicide attempt is just a step away from merely executing the act of taking one’s life away. However, there are times that things do not go was intended and it ended up in a mess. Here are a few of the suicide attempts that gone wrong.

This is a picture of a man who tried to kill himself with a 30-aught-six. When he was asked how much he wanted to die, he said he wanted it badly. He said it was the worse kind of wanting to just die. He said that he tried it once and he said that he would not do it again. It appears to me that he had learned his lesson the hard way and he has to live with it.

Who would ever forget the attempted suicide of famed actor Owen Wilson. To many, his luxurious life seem to be a ticket to happiness but then, depression took its toll. Media backed off as to what the reason would be but then, therapy would indeed be very beneficial when it comes to emotional distress such as what Owen Wilson experienced.

Terrell Owens is the flashy wide receiver of the Dallas Cowboys. He attempted to kill himself by an overdose of prescription pain killers which were given to him to aid an injury. He admitted that he was really trying to kill himself. He was treated in the emergency room because of the adverse reaction to the painkillers. This happened back in 2006.

Hip-hop artist Houston once attempted suicide by jumping off his 13th floor room. He was seen and the security were able to stop him and he was then transferred to a lower floor. He locked himself and then he took his eye out. In one of his talks, he kept on saying that he is Jesus and he wants to come home to his father.

Looking back into history, we would find Gen. Hideki Tojo. He fought in the Sino-Japanese war. When he was Prime Minister in 1941, he ordered the surprise attack in the US naval forces in Hawaii. When the war turned its tide, he decided to take his like away by shooting at his chest. Unfortunately, physicians were able to revive him. After the war, he was sentenced to death by hanging by the international tribunal.

Have you ever been to a soccer event? You should have seen how moms and dads scream and turn into somewhat monsters when their kid just got tangled in the play. I experienced this first hand. But then, it was not soccer.

I played high school basketball back then. When you look at my mom, she’s probably the most decent professional you would ever find. She always smile and generally she has a pretty nice disposition. She has to be that way because she is a Labor Judge. Moving forward, when the opposing team fouls me, there is a huge tendency that she would scream her lungs out and talk trash to the other team. Well, I know she’s my mom and she’s looking after my welfare as a player but often times, I get really embarrassed. Why is this so?

Anger management is something that parents will have to learn about. In the sideline, aggression check should always be practiced. The key idea is to teach parents how to monitor themselves during certain situations in the game.

There was a study that shows a distinct link from those who have road rage and those who are screaming their hearts out during games. The trigger mechanism is pretty much similar to the fact that when someone cuts in. If you are the type of person who goes mad while driving, then you will definitely scream when you watch your child play soccer, or any other sport for that matter.