Amazing Facts about Sex

1 . Having sex relieves headaches. Every time you make love , it releases the tension in the veins of the brain.

2 . A lot of sex can clear the stuffy nose. Sex is a natural antihistamine . It helps to fight against asthma and spring allergies .

3 . Making love is a spectacular beauty treatment. Scientists have discovered that when a woman has sex , it produces a large amount of estrogen that gives shine and softness to hair.

4 . Sex is one of the safest sports. Make love often strengthens the muscles of male and female body. It's more enjoyable than swimming 20 laps in the pool and there is not need special shoes!

5 . Make love slowly , smoothly and in a relaxed way reduces the chances of suffering dermatitis, skin rashes and acne . The sweat produced cleanses the pores and makes your skin glow .

6 . Lovemaking can burn all the calories you have accumulated during the romantic dinner before bedtime.

7 . Sex is a divine remedy for depression. It releases endorphins into the bloodstream , creating a state of euphoria and leaving women and men with the feeling of being unique.

8 . Sex is the tranquilizer and muscle relaxant to a safer world . It is a thousand times more effective than Valium .

9 . Sexually active body releases more pheromones. .

10 . Kissing each day will keep you more time away from the dentist . Kissing is an art which makes the cleaner teeth and saliva reduces the amount of acid that causes tooth decay . This prevention eliminates many problems , in addition to offering a breath constantly renewed !

50 Interesting Facts About Tsunami You Probably Don't Know

A tsunami is usually caused by an earthquake but can also be caused by a volcanic eruption, landslide, rapid changes in atmospheric pressure, or a meteorite. A tsunami is not just one big wave, but a series of waves called a “wave train.” The time period between waves is called the “wave period” and can be between a few minutes and two hours. The first wave is usually not the strongest, and later waves, such as the fifth or sixth, may be significantly larger. Greek historian Thucydides (460–395 B.C.) in his History of the Peloponnesian Warwas the first to associate tsunamis with underwater earthquakes. In the deepest part of the ocean, tsunami waves are often only 1 to 3 feet tall. Sailors may not even realize that tsunami waves are passing beneath them. The Indonesia 9.0 earthquake in 2004 released more energy than all the earthquakes on the planet in the last 25 years combined. A segment of seafloor the size of the state of California moved upward and seaward by more than 30 feet, displacing huge amounts of water. Approximately 99% of all tsunami-related fatalities have occurred within 160 miles (250 km) of the tsunami’s origin or within 30 minutes of when the tsunami was generated. Consequently, anyone in a coastal area who feels a strong earthquake should take that as a natural warning that a tsunami may be imminent and leave low-lying coastal areas. Tsunamis are typically caused by thrust-type subduction-zone earthquakes Earthquake-induced tsunamis are created along subduction zones, or when a lighter tectonic plate is forced above a heavier plate. The sudden rise or fall of the ocean floor displaces the entire overlying water column. This rise and fall of the ocean level above the earthquake generates a tsunami. A tsunami will generally not form if the tectonic plates instead split apart or slide past each other. The states in the U.S. at greatest risk for tsunamis are Hawaii, Alaska, Washington, Oregon, and California. While no one has witnessed a tsunami caused by a meteorite, many scientists think that a meteorite may have created a tsunami that wiped out life on Earth more than 3.5 billion years ago. Scientists believe that an asteroid struck the Indian Ocean about 4,800 years ago. The tsunami that resulted is theorized to have been approximately 600 feet (180 m) high. One of the largest earthquakes in history occurred over 100 miles off the coast of Chile on May 22, 1960. Just 15 minutes after the 9.5 quake, 80-foot waves struck the coast. Fifteen hours later, tsunami waves struck Hawaii and, finally, 22 hours after the earthquake, the tsunami struck Japan—10,000 miles from where the earthquake took place. While waves generated by wind may travel anywhere from around 2 to 60 miles (3.2 to 97 km) per hour, tsunami waves can travel at speeds of 600 miles (970 km) per hour, the speed of a jet plane. The farthest distance inland (horizontally) reached by tsunami waters is referred to as the area of inundation. The highest point (vertically) that this water reaches is called the run-up. The Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004 killed more than 216,000 people, possibly as many as 283,000. Victims included not only local people but also approximately 9,000 tourists from Australia, Sweden, the United Kingdom, and the U.S. who were spending their Christmas vacations at beach resorts in Southeast Asia.g Palm trees with their long, bare trunks are well adapted to life on the shore and often survive tsunamis intact. A “mega-tsunami” is a tsunami with extremely high waves and is usually caused by a landslide. A mega-tsunami occurred at Lituya Bay, Alaska, in 1958, creating the tallest tsunami ever recorded at 1,700 feet (534 m) high. Miraculously, only two people died. Scientists hypothesize that the next mega-tsunami may occur in the Canary Islands. The mega tsunami could cross the Atlantic Ocean and devastate U.S. coastal cities like New York, Boston, and Miami with waves reaching more than 100 feet high. When an enormous earthquake hit Lisbon in 1755, the city’s terrified citizens rushed to the shore for safety. They were amazed to see seawater rushing away from the shore. Minutes later, a tsunami arrived. Ninety thousand residents were killed. Experts suggest evacuating to a place at least 50 feet above sea level during a tsunami Reports show that those who use their cars to escape tsunamis often get stuck in traffic jams or encounter other obstacles and are, therefore, more likely to be swept away. Reports show that the best way to escape is on foot, climbing up any steep slopes nearby as quickly as possible. People often die after the first tsunami wave because they return to their homes too soon or go to the beach to help stranded people or animals, only to be engulfed by another tsunami wave. If caught by a tsunami wave, it is better not to swim, but rather to grab a floating object and allow the current to carry you. Seiches (SAYSH uhz) are like tsunamis, but instead of occurring in seas and oceans, they occur in enclosed bodies of water, such as lakes or inland seas. They are usually smaller and less harmful than tsunamis. Wind is the most common cause of seiches. Up to half an hour before a tsunami strikes, the ocean can (but not always) suddenly appear to drain away. The withdraw of the water is called the “drawback” and is the trough of the tsunami reaching the shore. Tsunami means “harbor wave” in Japanese (tsu = harbor + nami = wave), reflecting Japan’s tsunami-prone history. When a tsunami crashes into coastal areas, it is typically moving at about 22 mph (35 km/hr). The speed as it moves inland changes dramatically depending on the slope of the beach and the shore environment. The force of the tsunami backwash can be just as strong and in some cases stronger than the initial impact.g The costliest tsunami ever to strike the western United States and Canada occurred on March 28, 1964, when an 8.4 earthquake struck Alaska. Waves reached as high as 21 feet and killed more than 120 people. Damages reached $106 million. The state at greatest risk for a tsunami is Hawaii. Hawaii experiences about one tsunami a year and a damaging tsunami every seven years. California, Oregon, and Washington have a damaging tsunami about every 18 years. Many who were killed in the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami were women and children. Many women were reportedly waiting along the beaches for their husbands to return from fishing, and children were simply too weak to fight the strong currents. About one third of the dead were children and, in many locations, four times as many women as men were killed. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami uncovered the remains of Mahabalipuram The Indian Ocean tsunami in 2004 uncovered the lost city Mahabalipuram, the capital of a powerful kingdom that traded with China, Roma, Greece, Arabia, and Egypt some 1,500 years ago. It is said that the capital was kodalkol or “swelled by the sea” at the height of its glory. Tsunamis can poison fresh-water surface and groundwater systems as well as soil by leaving large amounts of salt behind. Consequently, thousands of people can die of starvation and disease long after the tsunami is gone. While tsunamis have been recorded in every ocean on Earth, about 80% of all tsunamis occur in the Pacific “Ring of Fire.” Only two large tsunamis are known to have struck Europe: one struck Crete and surrounding Mediterranean coasts in 1530 B.C., and one struck Lisbon, Portugal in 1755. A tsunami hits land with thousands of times the power of a regular wave. Regular waves are caused by wind pushing water at the surface of the ocean or other body of water. Tsunami waves are created by an event that affects the entire water column, from the ocean floor to its surface. Tsunami waves do not look like normal waves because they do not break and curl as normal waves do. They come as rapid floods of water or in the form of a bore, which is a large, steep wave that looks like a wall of water. Some animals may have the ability to detect impending natural disasters Hours before the Indian Ocean tsunami, people reported seeing elephants and flamingos heading for higher ground. Dogs and zoo animals refused to leave their shelters. After the tsunami, very few dead animals were found.b As a tsunami wave approaches shallow water near land, it slows down to about 20-30 miles (30-50 km) per hour. As it slows, all the water that had been traveling so fast pulls up, causing the wave to grow higher and higher. By the time it hits shore, a tsunami wave can reach 100 feet high, or as tall as a 10-story building. Tsunamis were sometimes called tidal waves, but this is misleading because tsunamis have nothing to do with tides. Some geologists suggest the ancient tsunamis are the source of ancient legends, such as the great biblical flood, the parting of the Red Sea during the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt, and the destruction of the Minoan civilization on the island of Crete. In the Pacific region, nearly 500,000 people have died from tsunamis over the last 2,000 years. The 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami alone exerted a death toll now estimated at more than 280,000. The plural form of the term can be either “tsunami” or “tsunamis.” Tsunamis are known from ancient times, dating back almost 4,000 years in China. Of the three major oceans, only the Pacific Ocean has an integrated multinational tsunami warning system. There was no tsunami warning system in the Indian Ocean in 2004, though experts had previously recommended one be installed. Because of its long history of devastating tsunamis, Japan had the most advanced tsunami warning system in the world prior to the 2011 tsunami, which consisted of more than 1,500 seismometers and more than 500 water-level gauges. Japan’s tsunami warning system costs $20 million a year to run. As of March 25 2011, there have been over 21,911 dead and missing in the Japan tsunami (over 10,000 confirmed dead; 17,440 missing) and 2,755 injured. The World Bank estimates that rebuilding the tsunami-affected areas of Japan will cost $232 billion and will take at least five years. A 9.0 earthquake 81 miles off the coast of Sendai caused the massive 2011 tsunami The earthquake that caused the 2011 Japan tsunami is the world’s fifth-largest earthquake since 1900. It has been 1,200 years since an earthquake of this magnitude struck the plate boundary of Japan. Over 180,000 people were evacuated after an earthquake and tsunami damaged the main cooling systems and generators at the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear complex in Japan in 2011. After the 2011 Japan tsunami, a tide of bodies washed ashore on the peninsula in Miyagi Prefecture. The 2011 Japan tsunami is estimated to become the world’s most expensive disaster in history. Tsunamis retain their energy, meaning they can travel across entire oceans with limited energy loss. A tsunami that travels thousands of miles across the ocean is called a transoceanic tsunami or teletsunami. A tsunami that only reaches the coast near the point of its origin is a local tsunami.[SOURCE]

42 Amazing Facts About our Planet Earth

Earth can be seen as a living, breathing organism: it regulates temperature, burns energy, continually renews its skin, and experiences changes to its face as it ages with time. Researchers in the the field of astrobiology have found that Earth’s current conditions are temporary and that Earth’s stable climate is an anomaly that will end in the next billion years. Under the oceans, there are the earth’s largest mountain ranges that circle the planet like the stitching on a baseball. More than 80% of the Earth’s surface is volcanic. Holes drilled as deep as 5 miles into the Earth’s reveal that the rock temperature increases about 37 degrees Fahrenheit per 320 feet. Even on the deepest sea floor, rock remains slightly above freezing. A belief of some Native Americans was that the earth is supported by a giant tortoise, which made the earth tremble each time it took a step. Earth and the planet Theia were twin planets sharing an orbit until they collided and Earth absorbed Theia Earth was originally born as a twin to the planet Theia, which was about half as wide as Earth and roughly the size of Mars. The two planets shared an orbit for several million years until they collided. Earth absorbed Theia, and the remaining debris eventually coagulated into Earth’s moon. The mass donated by Theia gave Earth the gravity necessary to sustain a substantial atmosphere. The theory of Pangaea states that all of Earth’s current continents were originally a single supercontinent that existed some 200 million years ago during the Paleozoic and Mesozoic eras. The northern part of the supercontinent, North America and Eurasia, was called Laurasia—and Gondwana, the southern part, was made up of Australia, South America, Africa, Antartica, and India. India later broke away and moved north to join Asia. Pangaea was not the beginning position of the land on Earth, but one of as many as six lost worlds that have come and gone. Pangea was preceded by Pannotia about 550-650 million years ago and by Rhodinia around 1.8 billion years ago. Before them, at intervals of roughly 500 million years, Nuna, Kenorland, and Ur existed and then broke up. Pangea broke up starting along the line that would become the mid-Atlantic ridge when the existing fracture at the southern end of South America/Africa widened and opened the rift like a zipper. As these new continents moved apart, they pushed and folded up the Earth’s crust and created great mountain ranges. The Earth’s plates move just a few inches a year—about as fast as a person’s fingernails grow. This continental pattern predicts that 250 million years from now, a new supercontinent will be born. The beginning of the Industrial Revolution marked the beginning of humanity's affecting Earth’s environment by producing enough carbon dioxide to affect the atmosphere's global balance and chemical composition. If a person extends his or her arm and index finger completely, the beginning of Earth is represented by the end of the nose and the present is the fingertip. Passing a file over the fingernail once would erase all of human history. The metaphor of rock being like Earth’s blood works because Earth’s levels of air and water are kept in balance by rock’s continuous circulation. The amount of carbon dioxide in water and atmosphere and the amount of solar energy the planet receives are two factors that control the destiny of life on Earth and the planet itself. Too much of the greenhouse effect is detrimental to human life—but without some greenhouse effect, Earth’s global temperature would be 0 degrees Fahrenheit (-18 degrees Celsius) rather than 59 degrees F (15 degrees C). The Amazon rainforest is home to one third of Earth’s land species Earth’s Amazon rainforest is home to one third of the planet’s land species, illustrating Earth’s ability to sustain itself within a concentrated area. Strong evidence suggests that the universe began with the Big Bang about 13 billion years ago, and two thirds of its history passed before our own solar system was formed. During this time, stars evolved and died, supplementing the basic hydrogen, helium, and trace of lithium that the universe began with and providing more complex atoms such as carbon, oxygen, silicon, magnesium, and nitrogen. The way Earth was formed allows for its many unique traits that have developed and will develop during its life. Earth, which can be viewed as a metal ball coated with rock, hurtles through space at 66,000 miles (107,000 km) per hour. The word “planet” comes from the Greek word planetai for “wanderer.” Earth began as sticky dust which clumped, like snowflakes, into a planetesimal, or a body that is about a half mile in diameter. Earth is made up of hydrogen gas, stardust, and gravity. The gas and dust floating in space were drawn together by gravity and they formed into a spinning disc. As this disc collided with and absorbed rock bodies, the Earth formed. Astronomers believe the formation of Earth was relatively quick. Orbiting debris smashed into the newly formed Earth, and gravity and radioactive processes heated its interior to nearly 2000 degrees Fahrenheit. A solid inner core formed as iron and nickel were absorbed into the center. This inner core was surrounded by a molten outer core, and then less dense silicates formed the mantle and crust. The name “Earth” comes from Old English and Old High Germanic words (eorthe anderda, respectively) for “ground” or “soil,” and it is the only name for a planet of the solar system that does not come from Greco-Roman mythology. One half to three quarters of Earth’s mass is made up of matter that would have made separate planets if not for Earth’s cannibalism. Earth is called a terrestrial planet because it is made almost entirely of rock and metal. Because Earth formed inside the snow line—meaning it was close enough to the sun that water, carbon, and nitrogen were all in a gaseous state—the elements so essential to supporting life had to be supplied in some other way. They were carried to the Earth by dirty snowballs—asteroids that retained water in hydrated minerals. Later those hydrated minerals were heated and the trapped water was released. The Earth had the energy to release trapped water from the energy supplied by the collisions that had delivered the minerals in the first place. Without the gravitational pull of the moon, Earth would not be habitable The birth of Earth’s moon is singularly important because it stabilizes Earth’s tilt. Without the moon, Earth would still have wild changes in climate and be uninhabitable. The stabilizing tug of the moon tempers Earth, resulting in the minor tip that causes summer and winter seasons. To put the size of each of these bodies in perspective, think of the Earth’s moon as a tennis ball and Earth as the size as a basketball. The sun’s diameter is about 109 times greater than Earth’s, whereas Earth is just about four times larger in diameter than the moon. The great impacts that gave Earth its mass had the potential to blow away the fragile atmosphere that was forming and turn the oceans into steam. Despite these threats, Earth went through a normal birthing process for a habitable planet. Had Earth formed in a more gentle way, the result would have been a cold and dead planet, because the energy of the falling bodies would have been small enough that the bodies would bounce back into space. Because Earth was hit by huge, hurtling chunks of rock and ice, they cratered so deeply into the interior of the planet that their heat, water, and future atmospheric gases were anchored there and retained by gravity. Earth’s ocean of magma was created by bodies crashing into the planet a bit later in its development.j Within 10 million years of Earth’s birth, its average interior temperature was hot enough to melt virtually the entire planet, which caused the core to sink to the middle of the planet and left the mantle a bubbling, viscous layer. The great heat of Earth’s core and magma ensured that Earth would have an atmosphere and oceans. It also created plate tectonics, which meant its oceans would be partitioned by dry land. Heat and pressure began creating rock lighter than the ocean floor that would eventually emerge as floating continents. Earth’s unique mix of land and ocean makes the Earth relatively stable by cycling carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide cycling moderates temperature swings that would otherwise occur. Earth’s greatest source of heat, besides the sun, is its interior, which conducts a hundred billion billion calories of energy to the surface each year—or 1.5 microcalories per .155 square inch of the earth’s surface each second. So much energy radiates from inside the Earth that it could satisfy all human energy needs three times over. As the earth cooled after it had finished growing, the lithosphere—the hard, outermost layer between the mantle and the Earth’s crust—cracked like an eggshell and split into seven large and twelve small floating islands with jagged edges. These islands are the tectonic plates that move continuously over the viscous mantle, rubbing, pushing, and trying to mount one over the other. Although Earth’s plates are made of solid rock, they buckle and twist like slabs of warm clay when they collide. The Earth’s plates were divided into land masses and oceans because of the difference in the thickness and composition of the planet’s two types of crust. Continental crust, mostly composed of relatively lightweight granite, is about 18 to 30 miles thick. The much denser basalt that makes up the oceanic crust is only 5 or 6 miles thick. Because they are more buoyant, the continents “float” higher on the mantle than the ocean floors do. Earth’s earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains are evidence of a living and changing planet Earthquakes, volcanoes, and mountains are all formed by Earth’s moving plates. Other planets and moons in our solar system have volcanoes, but they do not have mountain ranges like Earth’s because only Earth has plate tectonics. Plate tectonics contributed to making Earth habitable by creating volcanoes as well. The water vapor and other gases emitted by volcanoes during Earth’s early years helped to create Earth’s oceans and atmosphere. When a tectonic plate lingers over a hot spot for a while and then moves on, a volcanic island is formed. A hot spot is a column of basalt that punctures the earth’s crust and allows magma to escape from the interior. The movement of a tectonic plate over a hot spot forms a chain of volcanic islands, called a seamount. One well known example of a seamount is a chain of ancient volcanoes that were once over the hot spot that is now under Hawaii. The Himalayas are examples of the movement of tectonic plates against each other.[SOURCE]

52 Amazing Facts About Love

Historically, sweat has been an active ingredient in perfume and love potions. In Bali, men believed a woman would fall in love if her suitor fed her a certain kind of leaf incised with the image of a god who sported a very large penis. The Mexican chief Montezuma considered chocolate a “love drug” and drank 50 cups of chocolate a day before visiting his harem of 600 women. Scientists suggest that most people will fall in love approximately seven times before marriage. Some individuals who claim never to have felt romantic love suffer from hypopituitarism, a rare disease that doesn’t allow a person to feel the rapture of love. Getting dumped often leads to “frustration attraction,” which causes an individual to love the one who dumped him or her even more. Love is derived from the Sanskrit lubh, which means desire The term “love” is from the Sanskrit lubhyati, meaning “desire.” “Love” in the sense of “no score” in tennis dates to 1792 and means “playing for love” or, in other words, playing for nothing.iOther scholars claim that "love" as a tennis score is a corruption of the French word for egg, "L'oeuf," because of the egg's resemblance to a zero. Engagement rings are often worn on the fourth finger of the left hand because the ancient Greeks maintained that that finger contains the vena amoris, or the “vein of love,” that runs straight to the heart. The first recorded wedding rings appear in ancient Egypt, with the circle representing eternity as well as powerful sun and moon deities. Seminal fluid can potentially contribute to romantic love. Reports suggest that the liquid that surrounds the sperm contains dopamine (“the pleasure chemical”) and norepinephrine as well as tyrosine, an amino acid the brain needs to manufacture dopamine. The enduring symbol of love, Cupid (or Eros) is said to have come from Chaos (“The Yawning Void”) and represents the primitive forces of love and desire. The word “lesbian” is derived from the Greek island Lesbos, where the poetess Sappho composed her famous poems to her famous female lovers. Roses are a traditional symbol of love and, depending on their color, can suggest different nuances of love.n For example, red roses indicate passion and true love. Light pink suggests desire, passion, and energy; dark pink suggests gratitude. Yellow roses can mean friendship or jealousy. A lavender or thornless rose can mean love at first sight. White roses mean virtue or devotion. Some roses even combine colors to created more complicated meanings. European males subconsciously seek out women whose waist circumference is about 70% of their hips. Beauty icons such as Audrey Hepburn, Venus de Milo, and even Twiggy had a waist ratio of exactly 70%. When a person falls in love, the ventral tegmental area in the brain floods the caudate nucleus with dopamine. The caudate then signals for more dopamine; the more dopamine, the higher a person feels. The same system becomes activated when someone takes cocaine. When someone looks at a new love, the neural circuits that are usually associated with social judgment are suppressed. The apple has historically been the ultimate symbol of love and sexual desire Since ancient Greece, the apple has been a symbol of love. The Celts believed that the apple represented love because it lasted so long after being picked.n A study of college students who had just been rejected by their sweethearts showed they had strong activity in the brain associated with the insular cortex, the part of the brain that experiences physical pain. Antidepressants may compromise romantic love because they enhance serotonin levels. Higher serotonin levels blunt emotions and inhibit obsessive thoughts about the lover, both crucial components of love. A four-leaf clover is often considered good luck, but it is also part of an Irish love ritual. In some parts of Ireland, if a woman eats a four-leaf clover while thinking about a man, supposedly he will fall in love with her. Some psychologists argue that we fall in love with someone who is similar to the parent with whom we have unresolved childhood issues, unaware we are seeking to resolve this childhood relationship in adulthood. Studies show that if a man meets a woman in a dangerous situation (and vice versa), such as on a trembling bridge, he is more likely to fall in love with her than if he met her in a more mundane setting, such as in an office. Mystery or “the chase” is often a critical element in romantic love. Sometimes called the “Romeo and Juliet effect,” a situation with challenges or obstructions is likely to intensify one’s passion for a loved one. Scientists suggest that the advent of cooking led to healthier food which, in turn, led to bigger brains and an increased capacity to woo potential lovers with new forms of linguistic and artistic seductive flairs. Men and women are subconsciously attracted to those with a symmetrical face Men and women with highly symmetrical faces tend to have more lovers to choose from. Additionally, men with symmetrical faces begin to have sex four years earlier, have more sex, and have more affairs than their lopsided peers. Women also tend to have more orgasms with symmetrical men. Timing significantly influences love. Individuals are more likely to fall in love if they are looking for adventure, craving to leave home, lonely, displaced in a foreign country, passing into a new stage of life, or financially and psychologically ready to share themselves or start a family. Women around the world are more likely to fall in love with partners with ambition, education, wealth, respect, status, a sense of humor, and who are taller than they are. Women also prefer distinctive cheekbones and a strong jawbone, which are linked to testosterone levels. During ovulation, women become even more interested in men with signs of testosterone. Men in love show more activity in the visual part of the brain, while women in love show more activity in the part of the brain that governs memory. Scientists speculate that men have to size up a woman visually to see if she can bear babies, while women have to remember aspects of man’s behavior to determine if he would be an adequate provider. It is estimated that 40–70% of female homicides are committed by their lovers and spouses. In one of many polls on the subject, 60% of married American men say they’ve been unfaithful, compared to 40% of American women. The maple leaf is a symbol of love in China and Japan—and in North America, it was often engraved on beds of early settlers to promote peaceful sleep and pleasure. Plato asserts in his Symposium that initially all humans were whole, hermaphroditic beings with four hands, four legs, two identical faces on one head/neck, four ears, and both sets of genitals. When these beautiful, strong beings tried to overthrow the gods, Zeus split them into two—man and woman— and created the innate desire of human beings for one another to feel whole again. Scientists suggest that merely staring into another person’s eyes is a strong precursor to love. In an experiment, strangers of the opposite sex were put in a room together for 90 minutes where they talked about intimate details and then stared into each other’s eyes without talking. Many felt a deep attraction for each other, and two married each other six months later. The urge to fall in love is, like sex and hunger, a primitive, biological drive. Love and lust activate different areas of the brain Brains in love and brains in lust are not identical. Erotic photos activate the hypothalamus (which controls hunger and thirst) and the amygdala (arousal) areas of the brain. Love activates areas of the brain with a high concentration of receptors for dopamine (associated with euphoria, craving, and addiction) and its relative, norepinephrine. Many cultures use knots as symbols of an eternal love that has neither a beginning nor an end. Young Muslim women would send love messages to their lovers using intricate knots. The longer and more deliberate a courtship, the better the prospects for a long marriage. People who have intense, Hollywood-type romances at the beginning are more likely to divorce. New research suggests that passionate love does not always decline over time. In addition to exhibiting intense activity in the ventral tegmental area of the brain similar to those in the early stages of love, brain scans also show activity in the ventral pallidum, a region associated with feelings of long-term attachment, and in the raphe nucleus, which is responsible for higher serotonin levels, which lead to calmness and less obsession. Love is not necessarily a guarantee that a marriage will last. Other factors include a couple’s age (a husband who is nine or more years older than his wife or who marries before the age of 24 is more likely to divorce), those who are in their second or third marriage, those who had a child before marriage, and finances. Factors not pertinent to success of marriage are the number of children or their ages, the wife’s employment status, and the number of years a wife has been employed. Romantic love lasts just over a year, perhaps because the brain cannot eternally maintain a revved-up state of romantic bliss. As romantic love wanes, attachment love, a more stable love, sets in. To keep the passion alive, experts suggest doing satisfying and exciting activities as a couple. High levels of testosterone may suppress oxytocin and vasopressin (chemicals associated with attachment love), which may explain why men with higher testosterone levels tend to marry less often, be more abusive in their marriage, and divorce more. When a man holds a baby, his testosterone goes down, perhaps as a result of increased oxytocin and vasopressin. Men and women are biologically wired to express love in different ways Women often feel loved when talking face to face with their partner; men, on the other hand, often feel emotionally close when they work, play, or talk side by side. To remain in love for a lifetime, therapists advise couples to listen actively to your partner, ask questions, give answers, appreciate, stay attractive, grow intellectually, include your partner, give him/her privacy, be honest and trustworthy, tell your mate what you need, accept his/her shortcomings, give respect, never threaten to leave, say “no” to adultery, don’t assume the relationship will last forever, and cultivate variety. Men are more likely than women to be more flexible in their romantic choices when they are looking for short-term relationship—though when they want a long-term mate, they become pickier about basic virtues. Couples around the world who divorce tend to divorce around their fourth year of marriage. After four years, marriages generally stabilize until around eight years. Being in love creates high levels of dopamine and norepinephrine. The despair associated with unrequited love is associated with plummeting levels of dopamine. To increase dopamine, rejected lovers should exercise. Sunlight is another mood lifter, and smiling also activates nerve pathways that can give feelings of pleasure. One of the greatest predictors of love is proximity. Physical closeness leads to increased emotion, and it is not unusual to hear stories of bosses falling in love with their secretaries. On the other hand, scientists now think that at a critical time in childhood (sometime between ages 4–6), boys and girls who live in close proximity lose their ability to fall in love with each other, perhaps preventing the destructive act of mixing one’s DNA with close kin. Kama Sutra (love + thread, rule) is an ancient text on love in Sanskrit literature written by Mallanaga Vatsyayana around the second century A.D. Kama is the Hindu god of love and also means desire. Sutra is a manual or a guide. The herbs associated with Venus (marjoram, meadowsweet, mint, thyme, and violet) are said to be love inducing when mixed with those herbs sacred to Mars (basil and broom). Spreading them on the floor or scenting the bridal sheets with them supposedly evokes feelings of love.n The heart is a common symbol of love. Ancient alchemists used the symbol of the heart for incantations of love. The heart can represent an inverted triangle in which love is poured or carried. In Buddhism, the triangle is an invocation of love energy associated with the divine. The heart can also represent the wings of a dove, which was sacrificed in ancient Israel as a gesture of love and which also served as a symbol of Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love. On average, men around the world marry women who are three years younger than themselves. In the United States, men who remarry usually choose a wife five years younger; if they wed a third time, they often marry someone eight years younger than themselves. Studies show that the risk of a “secret love” being revealed heightens romantic feelings for the partners, thanks to increased levels of phenylethylamine (PEA).[SOURCE]

53 Strange and Funny Laws That Will Blow Your Mind

**Many of these laws were established during the end of the 1800s and early 1900s, when the United States was rapidly changing from an agricultural to industrial nation. Some of the laws went out of date or were repealed. Many are still on the books but not enforced.

1. Before 1920, it was illegal for women in the United States to vote. When women’s rights advocate Susan B. Anthony tried to vote in the 1872 election, she was arrested and fined $100.
2. It’s illegal to ride an ugly horse in Wilbur, Washington.
It is illegal for chickens to cross the road in Quitman, Georgia
3. In Quitman, Georgia, chickens may not cross the road.
4. In Mohave County, Arizona, if anyone is caught stealing soap, he must wash himself with it until the soap is gone.
5. First cousins may marry in Utah, but only after they’re 65 years old.
6. In North Dakota, no one can be arrested on the Fourth of July, a holiday that is commonly known there as “Five Finger Discount Day.”
7. In Tennessee, it is illegal for children to play games on Sunday without a license.
8. It is illegal in Tennessee for an atheist to hold office.
9. In Indiana, it is illegal for a man to be sexually aroused in public.
10. It is illegal in California to lick toads. Apparently, some people were licking toads to get high. Unfortunately, some people were being harmed by the toads’ poison.
11. It is against Michigan state law to tie a crocodile to a fire hydrant.
12. An old Colorado law states that a person mush have a doctor’s prescription before taking a bath.^c
13. Colorado law states that a man cannot marry his wife’s grandmother.
14. In Kansas, when two trains meet at a crossing, “both shall come to full stop and neither shall start up again until the other has gone.”
15. A woman in a housecoat is forbidden to drive a car in California.
16. According to Minneapolis law, a person who double parks a car will be put on a chain gang with only bread and water to eat.
In Michigan, husbands legally own their wives’ hair
17. In Michigan, a woman’s hair belongs to her husband.
18. In Morrisville, Pennsylvania, it is illegal for a woman to wear cosmetics without a permit.
19. A man is forbidden to kiss a woman while she’s asleep in Logan County, Colorado.
20. In Challis, Idaho, it is illegal to walk down the street with another man’s wife.
21. Flirting in Little Rock, Arkansas, can land someone in jail for 30 days.
22. In Truro, Mississippi, a man must prove himself worthy before getting married by hunting and killing either six blackbirds or three crows.
23. There are still laws in Pueblo, Colorado, stating that it is illegal to grow dandelions.
24. A woman in Memphis, Tennessee, is not allowed to drive a car unless a man is in front of the car waving a red flag to warn people and other cars.
25. It is illegal for children under the age of 12 to talk on the telephone unless accompanied by a parent in Blue Earth, Minnesota.
26. In Kalispell, Montana, children must have a doctor’s note if they want to buy a lollipop.
27. A representative from Oklahoma, Linda Larsen attempted to lower the divorce rate by proposing a law that would require the following before a marriage license would be issued: neither party should snore, at least one meal a week should be prepared by the non-primary cook, toothpaste should be squeezed from the bottom of the tube, pantyhose shouldn’t be left hanging in the shower, and the toilet seat should always be down when not being used.
Men with mustaches are forbidden to kiss women in Eureka, Nevada
28. In Eureka, Nevada, it is illegal for men who have mustaches to kiss women.
29. It is illegal in Waco, Texas, to throw a banana peel onto the street because a horse could slip.
30. In Texas, the Encyclopedia Britannica was banned because it contained a formula for making beer.
31. Pickles were outlawed in Los Angeles because the smell might offend people.
32. It’s illegal in St. Louis, Missouri, for a fireman to rescue a woman wearing a nightgown. If she wants to be rescued, she must be fully clothed.
33. Hartford, Connecticut, banned men from kissing their wives on Sundays.
34. Buying ice cream on Sundays was illegal in Ohio because it was thought to be frivolous and “luxurious.” Consequently, ice cream vendors would put fruit on top of the ice cream to make it more nutritious, creating the ice cream sundae.
35. A woman wearing shorts, a halter top, or a bathing suit to a political rally in Wheatfield, Indiana, could be charged with a misdemeanor.
36. In Lander, Wyoming, it is illegal for adults to take a bath more than once a month once the cold weather arrives. Children cannot take a bath at all during the winter.
37. According to Florida law, anyone who takes a bath must wear clothes.
38. Motorists in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, cannot park a car for more than two hours unless it is hitched to a horse.
39. Women in Whitesville, Delaware, could be charged with disorderly conduct if they propose marriage to a man.
40. In Kentucky, it is against the law to remarry the same man four times.
41. There is a law in South Carolina that allows a husband to beat his wife on the courthouse steps on a Sunday.
42. In Arizona, oral sex is considered sodomy.
43. In Arizona, a man may legally beat his wife once a month, but no more.
A girl may not ask a boy for a date over the phone in Dyersburg, Tennessee
44. In Dyersburg, Tennessee, it is against the law for a girl to telephone a boy to ask for a date.
45. In Kentucky, a woman is forbidden to wear a bathing suit on a highway unless she is armed with a club or is escorted by at least two officers. The amendment says that the provisions of this statue “shall not apply to a female weighing less than 90 pounds or exceeding 200 pounds.”
46. According to an Atlanta, Georgia, ordinance, “smelly people” are not allowed to ride public streetcars.
47. Massachusetts passed a law in 1648 that allowed a parent to put to death a stubborn or rebellious son. The law has been repealed by the legislature.
48. In Massachusetts, a person could be fined up to $200 for denying the existence of God.
49. In 1659, Massachusetts outlawed Christmas. According to state law, anybody observing Christmas would be fined five shillings.
50. In California, ostrich steaks are exempt from state sales tax.
51. In Lexington, Kentucky, it is against the law to carry an ice cream cone in a pocket.
52. Policemen are allowed to bite a dog if they think it will calm the dog down in Paulding, Ohio.
53. In Zeigler, Illinois, only the first four firemen to arrive at a fire will be paid. [SOURCE]