It's been awhile, braniacs. But I have an excuse! A good one, I swear!
I got married to the love of my life on August 10—who I, of course, met in a neuroscience lab a few years ago.
Something inexplicable has been plaguing me the past few months, though.
Getting married, including the months of stressful planning and nightmares leading up to the big day, was the happiest time of my life.
I reveled in choosing dresses and shoes, booking vendors, and constructing centerpieces. I saw my family and friends a lot over the past few months. And, after all, I was celebrating one of the purest and most joyful things that can be celebrated in this crazy, mixed-up world: love.
But, for some reason, I found myself crying a lot more. Not out of sadness or frustration or hopelessness, though.
I mean, I couldn't even keep it together while walking down the aisle—something every girl, growing up, likes to daydream about...right? (See pathetic photo.)
Most of us have heard that crying, in essence, is good for us—that it relieves us when we're sad, releases stress and toxins, yadda yadda.
So what was with my sobbing on what was inarguably the happiest day of my life?
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Showing posts with label hypothalamus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label hypothalamus. Show all posts
August 29, 2013
Why do we cry when we're happy?
Tags:
acetylcholine,
amygdala,
emotion,
happiness,
hypothalamus,
parasympathetic nervous system,
sadness,
sympathetic nervous system
| What do you think? |
August 28, 2012
Catnip fever: Why your cat acts high
There are few things in this world more entertaining than cats. Except for, perhaps, cats on catnip.
Yes, "on" catnip. I speak of it like a drug, because it is.
Sure, make a laser pointer dance around the room and you've got endless hours of entertainment. But give Mittens a little toy mouse infused with catnip and—well, something changes.
Mittens will rub against the toy, rolling around and ecstatically chewing it. She may drool and become either sleepy or anxious. If you try to take the toy, she might act aggressive, scratching or biting at you.
Forget the mouse—Mittens wants the catnip inside. So what is catnip, and why is it causing your sweet kitty to behave so dichotomously?
Yes, "on" catnip. I speak of it like a drug, because it is.
Sure, make a laser pointer dance around the room and you've got endless hours of entertainment. But give Mittens a little toy mouse infused with catnip and—well, something changes.
Mittens will rub against the toy, rolling around and ecstatically chewing it. She may drool and become either sleepy or anxious. If you try to take the toy, she might act aggressive, scratching or biting at you.
Forget the mouse—Mittens wants the catnip inside. So what is catnip, and why is it causing your sweet kitty to behave so dichotomously?
Tags:
amygdala,
animal,
behavior,
hypothalamus,
pituitary
| What do you think? |
July 23, 2012
Superhero science: tapping into our super-strength with adrenaline
In 1982, Angela Cavallo of Lawrenceville, Georgia received the Mom of the Year Award. (Not a real award, but if it existed, she would probably win, hands down). Her son Tony was working on the suspension of his 1964 Chevy Impala when the car suddenly slipped off the jack and pinned him in the wheel well.
Angela dashed outside to see her unconscious son trapped under the car. She yelled for a neighbor to get help but it was taking too long, so she took matters into her own hands. Literally. She proceeded to lift the car—high enough to replace the jacks—and pull Tony out from beneath.
Yep, you read that correctly. She lifted a 3,500-pound car from the ground.
There's not much more information to be found about Mrs. Cavallo aside from this incredible story, but I'll safely assume she wasn't a body builder. In fact, I'll bet the same for the other individuals who have also demonstrated this sort of "hysterical strength." But that's beside the point—if you were placed in a similar situation, you could probably lift a car, too!
It's all thanks to the handy little hormone called adrenaline.
Angela dashed outside to see her unconscious son trapped under the car. She yelled for a neighbor to get help but it was taking too long, so she took matters into her own hands. Literally. She proceeded to lift the car—high enough to replace the jacks—and pull Tony out from beneath.
Yep, you read that correctly. She lifted a 3,500-pound car from the ground.
There's not much more information to be found about Mrs. Cavallo aside from this incredible story, but I'll safely assume she wasn't a body builder. In fact, I'll bet the same for the other individuals who have also demonstrated this sort of "hysterical strength." But that's beside the point—if you were placed in a similar situation, you could probably lift a car, too!
It's all thanks to the handy little hormone called adrenaline.
Tags:
adrenaline,
hypothalamus,
muscle,
stress
| What do you think? |


