You might think these things innocent, but you’d be surprised how they are linked to an underlying problem you’d not once thought about. Here are 9 of those things, as compiled by XJ Selman of Cracked.
1. Male pattern baldness
A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute revealed that male pattern baldness and prostate are linked.
Results from 4,000 men of different ages revealed that those who had any degree of balding were at a 56 percent greater risk of dying from prostate cancer within a 21-year period. Meanwhile, those with moderate balding were 83 percent more cancer-prone than men with a full head of hair.
Another study by the American Society of Clinical Oncology showed that baldness on the front and the crown of your head by age 45 makes men 40 percent more likely to have aggressive prostate cancer at an older age.
The reason for this is simple: they probably have too much testosterone.
2. Longer index than the ring finger
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Put one hand in front of you and make a quick assessment. Is your index finger longer than your ring finger? If it is, then you may be schizophrenic.
In 2015, Clinical Anatomy conducted a study that measured the hands of a hundred people with schizophrenia and compared them to those who do not. Results revealed that those with schizophrenia had longer index fingers than their ring fingers.
“It’s possible that when you were in the womb, there was a low fetal androgen/estrogen ratio and this somehow caused a rift in your hemispheric lateralization, which is common in the illness,” sources said.
3. Heavy snoring
New studies reveal that sleep apnea—the temporary cessation of breathing during sleep—is associated with an increased risk of cancer mortality. A report by the Daily Times said, “it is perceived that sleep apnea hinders the vital lungs from receiving oxygen, thus causing the body [to] release a signal protein to form more blood vessels.”
Cancer deaths incidence in patients with severe sleep-disordered breathing (SBD) compared to those without the disorder was nearly five times higher, according to lead author F. Javier Nieto, MD, PhD, MPH.
“If you usually snore and feel sleepy during the day, have your health check with your doctor,” a report said. “Also, this is very helpful to people who carries an extra pounds because they increase sleep apnea risk. “
4. Saying fillers words like “um,” “uh,” “because,” “like,” a lot
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Fiction and popular culture had us believe that psychopaths are smooth criminals—pun intended. But that’s actually not the case in real life. A study observed convicted murderers and had them talk about their crimes. Researchers found that those who were psychopaths’ speech patters had much more disfluencies—such as “uhs” and “ums”.
“Psychopaths use words like ‘because’ and ‘so that’ more often, because they see everything in terms of cause and effect,” said sources. “Whereas a ‘normal’ murderer will ramble about motivations like family or religion, psychos paint their crimes as inevitable sequences of events that anyone should find perfectly logical, even if they start with, ‘So one day my neighbour’s dog said…’”
5. Being short
As if it’s not enough a blow to a man’s ego, being short has more disadvantages, it seems. In a study involving 200,000 people, the British Heart Foundation revealed that for every extra 2.5 inches you have on your height, your chance of coronary disease is cut by 13.5 percent.
In brief, the taller you are, the less likely you are to suffer from a heart attack.
“While the researchers couldn’t pinpoint the exact reason, they believe that it may have something to do with our genes: The genes that cut our height might also increase the amount of cholesterol and fat in the bloodstream.”
6. Avoiding eye contact
Refusing to meet someone’s eye during conversations is a sign of discomfort. They’re probably hiding something, or they don’t want to talk to you—either way it’s a sign that something is wrong.
However, a new study revealed that people who refuse to meet your eyes are not necessarily rude; they just can’t determine which way you’re looking exactly—a sign of schizophrenia.
“The researchers simply sat schizophrenic patients in front of photos of people looking in different directions, and found that they had trouble figuring out when someone’s eyes were pointed at them.”
People with schizophrenia also find it difficult to hold their gaze on any kind of object, whether or not it’s moving
7. Asians who easily turn red while drinking
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If you’re out drinking and notice that, after a few rounds, your Asian friends are turning red, be cautious. Unlike Caucasians, whose faces naturally turn red from alcohol, Asians experience a dangerous chemical reaction.
Chances are, they lack an enzyme called ALDH2, which breaks down ethanol. As a result, alcohol builds up a toxic substance called acetaldehyde—a chemical that turns your skin red.
Symptoms of this deficiency include heart palpitations, flushing, nausea, headaches, and increased heart rate—symptoms that are easily confused with those of drunkenness.
8. Not catching a yawn
Humans aren’t the only species known to catch yawns; chimpanzees and dogs and other social mammals are susceptible to domino-effect yawning. It’s a fun trick to pull on people, but if you notice your friend not falling for it, he or she may be psychopathic.
Psychopaths are generally not empathic people, and so they tested this by having the participants fill out questionnaires to determine how empathetic they are.
Then the researchers had them watch different videos of people laughing, yawning, or doing nothing at all. “Those whose closer to being psychopaths were less likely to yawn than those who scored with a higher empath.”
9. Being able to tickle yourself
As kids, we find out early on that it’s not possible to tickle ourselves. This is because our brain doesn’t react the same way to self-produced movements compared to external forces that act on us.
If you can tickle yourself, however, it may be a sign that you’re schizophrenic—this is because the neurological changes in the brain impede how much you can identify self-initiated actions.
“Even if they understand the theory that they’re tickling themselves, their brain doesn’t register the fact that their movements are responsible for the tickling sensations on their skin, and thus they end up making themselves laugh.”
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