Science is a funny thing, isn’t it? It tells us we likely can’t eat chips every day and have a perfect bill of health, that we probably can’t smoke, drink and sunbathe and expect to be fighting fit at the age of 100, and that our stressful jobs, unhealthy lifestyles and morning hot chocolates could be slowly killing us.
Nothing in the world is clear in black and white terms, especially not scientific studies. However, we are willing, at least, to listen to the ones that tell us the supposedly negative aspects of ourselves might be positive after all. Here are ten of those exact studies, which show why, just sometimes, it’s worth taking what you thought you knew about scientific research, yourself and your ‘negative’ personality traits with a great, big pinch of salt.
Drinking coffee
Coffee has long been thought of as a vice – and yes, too much can wreck your sleep – but coffee may actually be great for you. In fact, a 2015 study from the journal Circulation that looked at food intake data from more than 200,000 people over 30 years found that those who drank three to five cups of coffee a day were less likely to die prematurely from cardiovascular disease, neurological diseases, type 2 diabetes – and even suicide. And good news if you are worried about your sleep: the benefits seemed to extend to decaf drinkers in the study as well. Perhaps we needn't curb our Starbucks habit, after all.
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Getting easily embarrassed
It can feel totally mortifying to blush every time you’re embarrassed and give away the fact you’re "dying inside." But it’s not all bad news: while you may not be able to help awkwardly stammering, looking mortified and going red in the face, according to a 2011 study from the University of California, getting easily flustered makes you seem more honest, generous and even attractive to the opposite sex.
Researchers used games, surveys and videos to evaluate how embarrassed participants got – and also how pro-social they were. They found that the more flustered people got, the more likely they were to also seem trustworthy and appealing to those around them. “Moderate levels of embarrassment are signs of virtue,” said Matthew Feinberg, who led the study. “Our data suggests embarrassment is a good thing, not something you should fight. You want to affiliate with [embarrassed people] more. You feel comfortable trusting them.”
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Sharing a bed with your pet
We bet when you tell people that your cat sleeps on the pillow next to you, and you often wake up to your dog sprawled across your legs, they give you a disgusted look, right? Well, despite the fact it’s commonly seen as unhygienic and dirty to share a bed with your pet, it may actually be beneficial for both your physical and mental health.
A study from the Mayo Clinic Center for Sleep Medicine in Arizona surveyed 150 patients and found that while 20% of respondents thought their pets disturbed their sleep, more than double that (41%) said their pets actually helped them snooze sounder by making them feel more safe and secure, whether because they warmed them up, soothed them or kept them company. Now that’s a good reason to take a catnap if ever we heard one.
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Swearing
The polite people of society are quick to condemn those who are partial to a swear word or two, saying it makes them inarticulate and uncouth, and worse, that they’re only swearing because they’re lazy and can’t find the right words to use. However, research printed in the journal of Language Sciences found that actually, after testing nearly 100 volunteers on their verbal abilities, those fond of using profanities actually had greater linguistic fluency than their genteel counterparts, with a better grasp of the English language, a stronger vocabulary, and thus, higher levels of intelligence.
They also found that people who swore the most were also more likely to condemn inappropriate obscenities such as racial slurs. Stephen Fry once said: “The sort of twee person who thinks swearing is in any way a sign of a lack of education or of a lack of verbal interest is just a fucking lunatic.” Has science finally proved him right? As the researchers put it, “A voluminous taboo lexicon may better be considered an indicator of healthy verbal abilities rather than a cover for their deficiencies.”
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Fidgeting
“Stop fidgeting!” How many times were you told that growing up? Maybe you’ve grown out of the habit now, or maybe you fidget all the time without even noticing. Well, if you do, it might annoy others around you, but you’ll be the winner in the long run, as a team of researchers co-led by the University of Leeds and University College London found that fidgeting can undo some of the damage that we do to our bodies by sitting at a desk all day.
Nearly 13,000 women were questioned about their fidgeting habits and lifestyle choices – and 12 years later, those who fidgeted more were less likely to have died than those who only fidgeted occasionally, suggesting there are better long-term health outcomes for women who just can’t sit still.
“It might be a good thing to fidget. I don’t think we are going to train people to fidget for health reasons, but it’s interesting that these small, active movements could be beneficial,” Janet Cade, a professor of nutritional epidemiology at the University of Leeds, told The Guardian. “While further research is needed, the findings raise questions about whether the negative associations with fidgeting, such as rudeness or lack of concentration, should persist if such simple movements are beneficial.”
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Nail biting
Repetitive habits like biting your nails and twisting your hair are often seen as signs of nerves and are sometimes linked to OCD. However, according to research by the University of Montreal, it's not always the case that these habits are detrimental to a person. Indulging in these body-focused behaviours is apparently actually a sign of perfectionism, with people who are impatient, and who get bored easily more likely to be nail-biters, skin-pickers and hair-twisters. In various experiments conducted by the researchers, participants wanted to chew their nails more when they weren’t permitted to complete their work in a timely manner, with the body-focused habit serving as a kind of reward.
“We believe that individuals with these repetitive behaviours may be perfectionistic, meaning that they are unable to relax and to perform task at a ‘normal’ pace," said the study’s lead author Dr. Kieron O'Connor. “They are therefore prone to frustration, impatience, and dissatisfaction when they do not reach their goals. They also experience greater levels of boredom.” So, next time someone tries to slap your hand away from your mouth, just tell them it’s not your fault you get bored easily: science says you’re a perfectionist.
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Being a night owl rather than an early bird
We’re often told that the early bird catches the worm, that being early to rise makes you healthy, wealthy and wise and that it’s lazy and unproductive to spend all morning in bed. But, if certain scientific research is to be believed, late risers are smarter and more creative than their cheery morning counterparts. A study at the University of Madrid, which followed nearly 1,000 teenagers, found that night owls scored higher on inductive reasoning tests, while researchers at Milan’s Catholic University of the Sacred Heart found that those who love to stay up late are more creative and better at developing original solutions to problems.
Not only do night owls seem to be more clever and creative than early risers, but their brains also seem to stay awake and alert for longer once you can drag them out of bed, according to scientists at Belgium’s University of Liege, who measured the brain activity of over 30 extreme early birds and night owls. Plus, being so smart, creative and alert translates to the working world too, with research from the University of Chicago showing that those who are late to bed and late to rise are also more likely to be risk-takers with the right make-up to become successful entrepreneurs.
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Being neurotic
It may have a bad rep, but according to personality experts at King’s College London, if you suffer from moody neuroticism, you could also be a creative genius. One theory is that the brains of neurotic people are more sensitive to threats, with psychologists saying that this ‘panic button’ is linked to an overactive imagination – and thus, greater levels of creative thought. Famous creative thinkers like Woody Allen, Sir Isaac Newton and Vincent van Gogh all reportedly suffered from neuroticism on different levels.
“We're still a long way off from fully explaining neuroticism, and we're not offering all of the answers, but we hope that our new theory will help people make sense of their own experiences, and show that although being highly neurotic is by definition unpleasant, it also has creative benefits,” said Dr Adam Perkins from the university. “Neurotic people feel sort of miserable spontaneously, and they also tend to be better at coming up with creative solutions for things.”
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