Interesting Facts

The majority of healthy adults and teenagers cannot sustain attention on one thing for more than 40 minutes without a break. (This impacts on our ability to learn, but of course if you are enjoying a task, it is easier to concentrate for longer.  However, if you've been reading the Interesting Facts site for longer than 40 minutes, go and make a cup of tea.)

According to a study by food firm Tilda, just over half of adults in the UK have suffered increased levels of stress and anxiety in the past year. (As they struggle to find that elusive work-life balance, the average person now gets six and a half hours sleep a day and spends less than 20 minutes preparing weekday meals.  One in the eye for Jamie Oliver.)

According to figures released by the Circle Housing organisation, about 7 million people in the UK are expected to take out a loan to cover the crippling cost of Christmas. (It gets worse; according to the Money Advice Service, one million Brits will use a payday loan to cover the cost of Christmas while a third of adults will use credit cards.  Two of the most expensive ways of borrowing money. In 2012 Brits spent an average of £1,000 per household on Christmas and some of them haven't paid that back yet. The harsh reality is, if you can't afford to buy something without paying with credit, don't buy it.  If you are feeling pressured into buying presents you can't afford, be honest and tell people, including your children, you simply can't afford it. They will be more understanding than you think, and you can offer to start a fund to buy their "must have" item later when you have enough to buy it with hard cash.  If you have to have something to wrap...

According to a survey by YouGov, 47% of British adults say they often don’t even bother to find a designated crossing when they need to cross the road. (You might think this is jaywalking, but it's not illegal in the UK. I always say, "the crossings are there for me, I am not there for the crossings".) Source

According to neuroscientists, children who write using good old fashioned pen and paper learn better than those who use a keyboard. (A study carried out at the University of Stavanger in Norway showed that people who are learning new letters—such as children learning to read for the first time, or as adults picking up a second language with new characters— retain the information best when writing the letters by hand. One of the researchers, Anne Mangen, said, "The movement for “the typing of a T is no different than the typing of a Y. Furthermore, when you write something on the keyboard, you get the visual output somewhere else, on the screen, as opposed to watching your hand when you write on paper." I am so tempted to say "Told you so" again.)

According to a Royal Society report the age of criminal responsibility (currently 10 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland) might be too low. (In a scientific study scans of the brain showed that at the age of 10 the parts of the brain connected with decision-making and judgement are still developing and are not fully mature "until at least the age of 20". Looking at the way some people behave, I wonder if they should be so sure it's 20.) Source

According to child expert Professor Richard Tremblay, three and four-year-olds are more violent than most adults. (He added that children have to learn to regulate their use of violence in the early years, and whether or not they manage to do so depends on a range of environmental and genetic factors.  Those who do not are more likely to become aggressive adults. No wonder kids terrify me!)

Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system. (Six-year-olds laugh an average of 300 times a day. Unfortunately adults only laugh 15 to 100 times a day. Try counting how many times the people around you laugh, if nothing else, it should make you laugh.)