9 Annoying Things That Actually Have an Explanation

It’s so annoying when someone’s chewing loudly right next to you, when you hit your pinky toe on a corner, or when you’re late for work and can’t find your keys... All of these phenomena can be scientifically explained. If you find out why these things happen, you’ll be able to avoid them in the future.

Why does your sweat smell so bad when you’re stressed?

When we’re stressed, our apocrine glands start working faster and release sweat. This sweat contains more nutrients, protein, and lipids than sweat produced by eccrine glands that just contain salt and water.

These nutrients are a fantastic meal for the bacteria that lives in and around our pores. As the bacteria break down these chemicals, they release a bad odor. As a result, when we’re nervous, we smell worse because this sweat is more “tasty” for the bacteria.

Why is it more difficult to wake up if you snooze your alarm for 5 minutes?

The thing is, when a person falls asleep again, a new sleep cycle begins. It takes around 100 minutes to complete the cycle, and if it lasts for less than 100 minutes, the phase won’t be completed. So the best way to start your day is to wake up at your first alarm.

Why do people who chew loudly drive us crazy?

This syndrome has a scientific term — misophonia. It’s an aggressive reaction to ordinary noises like: chewing, a slight pop of the lips when speaking, a person whistling, and so on. Around 20% of all people in the world suffer from misophonia. The brain reacts this way since several parts of it, not just one part, receive triggering signals.

Misophonia is incurable, so it’s recommended to avoid the noises that make you mad.

Why does our own voice sound so different and strange when it is recorded?

When we hear our voice while speaking, we hear a mix of sounds from the surrounding environment through the external auditory canal, eardrum, and middle ear to the cochlea. When we hear a recording, we hear only those sounds transmitted by the air. The other part of the sounds simply disappears. So our own voice sounds really weird and foreign to us.

Why do we have red eyes in photos?

Sometimes our pupils fail to constrict when someone’s taking a picture of us. A red eye is essentially light reflecting off the blood vessels in your retina.

By the way, animals’ eyes can be grey, red, green, and so on. Their eyes have a reflecting layer that improves night vision, so the color can look absolutely different.

To avoid this effect, try to take photos when there’s enough light.

Why do pieces of eggshell always fall in a bowl when you crack an egg?

If you crack eggs incorrectly, the shells will always get stuck in the egg white and fall in the bowl. Here’s a secret: before you crack an egg, find the widest part of a shell (the middle) and firmly grasp the egg.

Then, tap it against the countertop, use your thumbs to press inward, and separate the shell, then pour the yolk and white from the shell into the bowl.

There’s a reason why you can’t find your keys.

If you usually can’t find your keys, you’re not involving your working memory when you come home and throw your keys somewhere. That’s why you can’t remember where you’ve put them and turn your home into a mess trying to find them.

There’s only one way to cope with this problem: organize a place for these tiny items so that you always know where they are.

Why do shoelaces untie themselves? Especially, when it comes to kids.

Children’s shoelaces untie because their gait differs from adults’ gait: they stomp with their feet. When a foot hits the ground, the heel goes up and unties the knot. A slap gait unties our shoelaces faster than an ordinary gait.

Why does hitting your pinky toe hurt so much?

Toes contain a whole bunch of nerve receptors and not a lot tissue to protect these receptors. As a result, we hit our bone, blood vessels, and nerves. That’s why it’s so painful when we hit our pinky toes.