ADVERTISEMENT

When it comes to trivia, you most likely won't benefit from knowing why James Michael Tyler got to play Gunther the barista in Friends or why a super-rich Swedish man bought a chunk of the Amazon rainforest. But on the off-chance that your local pub quiz master decides to ask about these things, better come prepared!

And an excellent place to do so is at "Mind Blowing Facts." This internet project shares tidbits of information about the world we live in and also includes complimentary photos to help these tiny lessons stick in our memory for a little longer. Continue scrolling and check out some of its most popular posts!

More info: mind-blowingfacts.com | Facebook | Instagram

Surprisingly, going through (and applying) random facts can also be good for your mental health. Experts say that playing trivia games can provide a dopamine rush much like gambling, but without the negative effects. 

Even if the actual games differ, the benefits are there nonetheless. Whether we're playing Trivial Pursuit at home or attending a pub trivia night, the basic premise remains the same: we experience the thrill of providing correct answers to questions about lesser-known facts.

#5

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
happyhirts avatar
Mad Dragon
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We have a similar gang here. They also accompany bullied kids to school to let their bullies know that a biker gang has their back.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

"You get a rush or a neuroreward signal or a dopamine burst from winning,” John Kounios, Ph.D., professor of psychology and director of the doctoral program in applied cognitive and brain sciences at Drexel University in Pennsylvania, told Healthline. “I think whenever you’re challenged with a trivia question and you happen to know it, you get a rush. It’s sort of like gambling.”

ADVERTISEMENT
#8

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
perrysologia avatar
Perry Sologia
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Actually, I think that cub is eating his leg while mama bear distracts him......

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
ADVERTISEMENT

Kounios said the benefits can also be similar to those of playing a video game.

However, unlike gambling and even video games, Kounios said trivia is generally not a problematic habit.

“I don’t think there are any pitfalls,” he said. “Like anything else that’s fun, it takes up time.”

#10

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
markfuller avatar
Mark Fuller
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Imagine if other countries did that! It would revolutionise the world!!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#11

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
maren-schillo avatar
Aran Lindvail
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Would be even better if they had a social and healthcare system that allowed them a few days off to take care of a sick spouse. After 30(!!) years of hard work that needs to be possible without having to worry about daily income. You shouldn't have to rely on stranger's charity for that.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Sometimes we think of the brain as an endless library, whose shelves house our most precious memories as well as our lifetime's knowledge. But is there a point where it reaches maximum capacity? In other words, can the brain get full?

ADVERTISEMENT

The short answer is no. Brains are more sophisticated than that: a study published in Nature Neuroscience revealed that instead of just crowding in, old information is sometimes pushed out of the brain for new memories to form.

#13

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
katy_malinowski avatar
Katy McMouse
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I know a few billionaires in this country who could take a page from this guy.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#14

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
katy_malinowski avatar
Katy McMouse
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This kills me. It just kills me. Gratitude, it seems, is forever for some.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

Scientists wanted to investigate what happens in the brain when we try to remember information that’s very similar to what we already know. (This is important because similar information is more likely to interfere with existing knowledge, and it’s the stuff that crowds without being useful.)

So they examined how brain activity changes when we try to remember a target memory, that is, when we try to recall something very specific, at the same time as trying to remember something similar (a competing memory).

ADVERTISEMENT

Researchers taught participants to associate a single word (for example, the word sand) with two different images – such as one of Marilyn Monroe and the other of a hat.

They discovered that as the target memory was recalled more often, brain activity for it increased. At the same time, brain activity for the competing memory simultaneously weakened. This change was most prominent in regions near the front of the brain, such as the prefrontal cortex, rather than key memory structures in the middle of the brain, such as the hippocampus, which is traditionally associated with memory loss.

#20

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
samlomb avatar
Samantha Lomb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

How horrible that everyone in that kid's life failed to provide basic information or support

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

The prefrontal cortex is involved in a range of complex cognitive processes, such as planning, decision making, and selective retrieval of memory. Existing research shows this part of the brain works in combination with the hippocampus to retrieve specific memories.

If the hippocampus is the search engine, the prefrontal cortex is the filter that determines which memory is the most relevant — this suggests that storing information alone is not enough for a good memory. The brain also has to be able to access the relevant information without being distracted by competing pieces of data.

ADVERTISEMENT
#23

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
mjensen avatar
Mia Jensen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Just because I am alone, does not mean I am lonely." One of my favourite quotes but I cannot remember who said it.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu

However, don't be scared. In daily life, forgetting actually is actually beneficial.

Imagine that you lost your bank card. The new card you receive will come with a new PIN. Research in this field suggests that each time you remember the new code, you gradually forget the old one. This process improves access to relevant information, without old memories interfering.

#26

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
lindacowley avatar
Auntriarch
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

So, next time you think that you can't do anything big because you are too small....

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#27

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
mjensen avatar
Mia Jensen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Very few people would have the guts to do this. I hope he was not harmed in any way.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#28

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

ADVERTISEMENT
See Also on Bored Panda
#31

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
abigailwilliams_2 avatar
Call Me Mars
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I was fortunate to see Notre Dame before it burned. I am glad its beauty has been restored.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#33

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
happyhirts avatar
Mad Dragon
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The umbilical cord was wrapped around the baby’s neck, so the doc threw on a gown and shoes and ran to her room to help.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#36

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
gn4awalk avatar
julie son
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And I just discovered that one of my friends who barely finished high school is an antivaxxer who "refuses to put poisons in his children's' bodies" because clearly barely graduating high school gives you a superior understanding of science than that of the people who dedicated their lives understanding how organic chemistry works!

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#41

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
crabcrab avatar
Hans
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"shot at in 1904" documents that in all times some humans were around who lack the very definition of being humane.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#42

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
samlomb avatar
Samantha Lomb
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Its so sad the US refuses to implement social programs like free child care and free higher education because it fears "socialism" when it's clear these programs make huge impacts. But there is always money to bomb some poor brown people

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#43

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

#48

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
dirkaarden avatar
Don Golosso
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

R.I.P. Everyone who died in 9/11 and in the years after as victims of the US retaliation of 9/11.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
See Also on Bored Panda
#49

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Add photo comments
POST
mjensen avatar
Mia Jensen
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

https://worldoftanks.eu/en/news/history/Mariya-Oktyabrskaya-story/ For more info.

View More Replies...
View more commentsArrow down menu
#50

Mind-Blowing-Facts

officialmbf Report

Note: this post originally had 120 images. It’s been shortened to the top 50 images based on user votes.