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4000 years ago, the ancient Sumerians made a surprising discovery: if they scraped the bark off a particular kind of tree and ate it, their pain disappeared. Little did they know that what they’d found was destined to influence the future course of medicine. Krishna Sudhir, of TED-Ed, traces the history of aspirin.
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A pill’s color can affect how it’s judged by patients, how it’s marketed, and even how well it works.
When you take a pill, it makes its way to your stomach where it eventually dissolves. The stuff the pill is made of (or for capsules and the like, the stuff inside the pill) makes its way into your bloodstream. Some cause chemical reactions which block pain, reduce swelling, open blood vessels, or which go to war against infections. Regardless, taking a pill — beyond putting it in your mouth and swallowing — doesn’t take much, if any, thinking. It just works on its own. Except that it doesn’t. Before we put the pills into our mouths, something happens: we look at what we’re taking. And, perhaps subconsciously, we notice something about the pill that shouldn’t matter: We see what color the pill is. The color of the pill shouldn’t affect how effective the pill is, of course — by and large, what a pill’s design is decided only after we determine the pill’s medicinal value. But, studies have shown — here’s one of many — that while we shouldn’t judge a pill by its cover, we can’t help ourselves. It’s a pretty standard example of the placebo effect — we already associate certain colors with certain moods, outcomes, etc., and those associations don’t disappear simply because the colored item is our medication. As a result, different colored pills thrive at reaching different medical goals. The Atlantic shares the basics of the color code:
And, as the Atlantic further explains, that color system isn’t universal — our cultural differences can have an impact:
The good news is that drug manufacturers are aware of this quirk of our consciousness and act accordingly. (That’s why you don’t often see black pills, which we’d associate with darkness, despair, and death.) It’s not foolproof, of course; there’s no way to account for how we, individually, associate colors with the world around us. But the only other solution is to take your pills without looking at them first, and that would be a very, very bad idea. |
Lots of us like to stock our refrigerators with delicious fruits and vegetables during a trip to the supermarket. Especially in the summer!
Fruits, like strawberries, are refreshing and packed with vitamins and minerals that are good for us and keep us healthy.
The are even said to improve eyesight, brain function, high blood pressure, arthritis, gout, and several cardiovascular diseases. Strawberries are even linked to boosting the immune system and preventing certain cancers, as well as premature aging.
Source: Foodal
It’s a shame to spend all that money on our strawberries only to find that they get slimy or covered in mold when we reach for them in our refrigerators after having only bought them a few days prior.
Thankfully Hip2Save has shared a brilliant way to make sure that your strawberries stay fresh and last longer in your refrigerator. This hack will extend the life of your strawberries for days, or maybe even a week or two after you take them home and put them in your fridge.
Source: The Krazy Coupon Lady
Step 1) Pour 1 part white vinegar and 5 parts water into a large bowl. About 1/2 cup of vinegar and 2 1/2 cups of water should do the trick.
Step 2) Soak your berries in the mixtures for a few minutes. The vinegar will get rid of mold spores and bacteria. That’s the stuff that makes your strawberries spoil quicker.
You’ll probably be grossed out by what the water looks like after your rinse your berries in this solution.
Source: The Krazy Coupon Lady
Step 3) Dry your strawberries thoroughly. You can place some paper towels into a salad spinner or let them air dry in a colander.
Making sure you remove all of the moisture will prevent them from getting moldy.
Step 4) Place your strawberries into the refrigerator on top of a paper towel.
Source: Sunshine in My Pocket
Don’t worry your strawberries will not taste like vinegar after using this method.
Enjoy your delicious tasting, longer lasting strawberries!
According to a new study, bald really is beautiful. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania have released the results of a survey that found that men who have shed their hair are more attractive.
The study was composed of three major tests given to students on campus. Male and female students were asked to rate photos of men according to attractiveness, confidence, and dominance. Some of the photos also digitally removed hair from some of the pictures to show the same person with and without their locks.
According to the researchers, the bald men won out in all three categories. The study also says men who willingly ditch their hair are perceived as more appealing because they’ve gone against the traditional norms associated with hair and vitality.
“Choosing to dispense with one’s hair is arguably a form of nonverbal behavior, a form of expression which communicates information about the self otherwise difficult to observe,” researchers write.
‘‘Anyone can be confident with a full head of hair. But a confident bald man—there’s your diamond in the rough.’’ — Larry David
The findings also claim that bald men, being perceived as more dominant, will do better in business and economically overall. Based on their study, researchers at Penn also suggest that men beginning to lose their hair just let it happen.
“Instead of spending billions each year trying to reverse or cure their hair loss, the counter-intuitive prescription of this research to men experiencing male pattern baldness is to shave their heads.”
Source CBS News
