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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.

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Mad Dragon
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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.

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"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.”

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Perry Sologia
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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......

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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.”

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Mark Fuller
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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!!

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Aran Lindvail
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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.

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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?

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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.

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Katy McMouse
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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.

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Katy McMouse
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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.

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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).

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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.

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Samantha Lomb
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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

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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.

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Mia Jensen
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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.

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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.

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Auntriarch
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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....

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Mia Jensen
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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.

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Call Me Mars
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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.

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Mad Dragon
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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.

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julie son
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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!

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Hans
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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.

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Samantha Lomb
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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

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Jo Johannsen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

For many years, I have wondered why high schools don't teach classes in childcare that are also childcare centers for the local low income families. Serve two needs at one time.

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Tabitha Martel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

A lot of times it's because the insurance required to have small children is too expensive for schools that are already strapped. Because 'merica. Guns before schools. (Child of teachers, administrators and a graduate of a HS that had a child care center briefly)

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Andy Acceber
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I'm glad he did good things. But, just as a rule, the phrase "self-made millionaire" is bullshit. Rosen had $20,000 that he used to buy his first hotel. None of us are "self-made" anything. We're all a product of our families, communities, and cultures.

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Allen Lavine
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow so you telling me if you give people the the tools they need to improve there lives most will so all the time Fox News said poc just want to be criminal was really people doing what they had to adapt to the environment there in wow

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Jo Choto
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And this is what proves that poverty is the root of crime, of violence and of school dropouts.

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There Is No Planet B
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It seems such a simple concept, doesn't it? But it doesn't fit the conservative's narrative, sooo...

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Rez Fidel
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Let me fix this: Rich person in a rich country has to step in for free daycare and scholarships to fight social problems which should be the states duty. ThIs is not a feelgood story. This is FUBAR!

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Luther von Wolfen
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This is noteworthy because it's unusual. Most rich people don't help anybody.

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Steve Fischer
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's time to take the money illegally stolen by billionaires and use it for the good of the people they stole it from. I'm looking at you Musk, Bezo,

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Emerald Ocean
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The world would be much better if all millionaires were like this and weren’t corrupted by their power and money

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Rose Rosee
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Their riches depend on keeping poor people poor. Plus, another reason why certain people don't support abortion is because they need poor people to birth the next generation of low wage workers. Yes, I know some folks truly believe that at the moment of conception you are a person. And then you have the people that want to control women, which is another kind of evil. There is always money for big corporations (who don't need the money), always money for war, and private contracts, but helping this nation's citizens get the American dream? Nah can't do that.

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Ayelet Marti Cooper
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Wow, imagine that... cutting crime through increased social services... the older I get the more disappointed in the US I become, this is what we should do all over the country

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Jamie S. Martindale
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No one is truly "self-made" -- it is always a team effort to some extent

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ThatOneWriter
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Doing things like this is really the only reason I want to be rich.

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Paul Z.
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

And yet, billions go to the military 🪖 and police 🚔 to oppress and intimidate. Education works much better. But the risk of your population becoming.too smart and savvy is something the US powers that be cannot have...

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Harri Ellis
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

WOW. A Floridian who actually cared! I love it! (I guess you can tell I am not crazy about Florida). Trust me, I would leave if I could.

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Trish Smith
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a beautiful soul! It is so sad that it takes someone like him to create such positive changes. These measures should have been provided by our government, that demands taxes, to provide these services. God bless you, kind Sir!

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Two_rolling_black_eyes
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I think its very strange that the US decides that once you make it to adulthood and can actually start giving back, now is the time to stop educating you to be a productive member of society. Its like giving someone all of their groceries and a kitchen to cook in and knocking down the door 2 hours before thanksgiving so you can throw the turkey on the floor and take all the pots and pans. Just sticking to food, how many great chefs have we lost because they couldn't go to culinary school?

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Little bird
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2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Or allow brown people to cross our southern border and invade our country, demand healthcare from our government and not pay taxes.

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Sarah R.
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2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

That quite too many words for "I'm racist". You do realize that the only people native to the U.S. are generally brown-skinned too? How about asking Native Americans how they feel about you on *their* land? Or black people how they feel about their ancestors being enslaved just for being African?

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September
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2 years ago

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Personally I don't feel that ethnicity should ever be a qualification for being a decent human being. Much flack is given about "White Saviors" stepping in and helping out people of color. Some of the negativity is understandable if unwarranted but where are all the successful POC stepping up to do the same thing?

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Don Golosso
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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.

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Mia Jensen
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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.

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