Here is a concise summary of the 15 psychological facts presented:
**Summary Title:** 15 Mind-Blowing Psychological Facts
**Summary (250 words):**
1. **Having a Plan B can undermine Plan A's success** due to decreased motivation (Expectancy Theory).
2. **Contagious yawning** may demonstrate empathy.
3. **Individual cases evoke more empathy** than large-scale tragedies.
4. **Memories follow the Serial-Position Effect**, where beginnings and ends are easier to remember.
5. **It takes 5 positive interactions to outweigh 1 negative** due to Negativity Bias.
6. **Food tastes better when someone else prepares it** due to reduced excitement.
7. **Uncertainty is more stressful than knowing something bad will happen**.
8. **Overly strict rules can lead to increased rule-breaking** (Reactance).
9. **"Cute Aggression"** is a natural response to overwhelming positive feelings.
10. **Confirmation Bias** leads us to interpret facts supporting our existing beliefs.
11. **Music from our teenage years** evokes stronger emotional connections.
12. **Memories are often pieced-together approximations** rather than accurate snapshots.
13. **Humans tend to perceive faces in inanimate objects** (Pareidolia).
14. **High expectations can improve performance** (Pygmalion Effect).
15. **Our brains prioritize short-term deadlines over long-term ones**, leading to procrastination.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text, numbered and in short sentences, without opinions:
1. **Plan B Affects Plan A**: Having a backup plan (Plan B) can decrease motivation and make Plan A less likely to work. (University of Pennsylvania study)
2. **Contagious Yawning**: Yawning can be contagious due to empathy, as demonstrated by response yawns. (Various theories)
3. **Single Person vs. Massive Tragedies**: People are more likely to donate to a single person in need than to a large-scale tragedy. (University of Pennsylvania study)
4. **Serial-Position Effect**: People tend to remember beginnings and ends more easily than middles. (Frontiers of Human Neuroscience study)
5. **Negativity Bias**: It takes approximately five positive things to outweigh a single negative thing in our perception.
6. **Food Tastes Better When Others Cook**: Food is perceived to taste better when prepared by someone else, not just oneself. (Researchers' findings)
7. **Known Bad Outcome vs. Uncertainty**: People often prefer knowing something bad will happen over uncertainty. (Researchers' findings)
8. **Reactance to Strict Rules**: When one rule seems too strict, people tend to want to break more rules to regain perceived lost freedom. (Psychological phenomenon of Reactance)
9. **Cute Aggression**: The desire to squeeze cute things (like puppies or babies) is a natural reaction known as Cute Aggression. (Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience)
10. **Confirmation Bias**: People tend to interpret facts in a way that confirms their existing beliefs.
11. **Music Preference**: People often love the music they listened to between ages 12-22 more than music discovered later in life. (Studies on music preferences)
12. **Memory Inaccuracy**: Memories can be inaccurate, with brains filling in gaps with false information. (Concept of False Memories)
13. **Pareidolia**: Humans tend to perceive faces in random or ambiguous visual patterns, like the "man in the moon". (Pareidolia phenomenon)
14. **Pygmalion Effect**: High expectations can lead to improved performance, as seen in a 1960s study with teachers and students.
15. **Brain's Perception of Deadlines**: The brain prioritizes short-term deadlines over long-term ones, seeking instant gratification.