Interesting Facts

We know walking is good for us, but it seems where you walk makes a difference. (Various studies have found that urban dwellers with little access to green spaces are at a higher risk of developing psychological problems, but a recent study carried out at Stanford university found that volunteers who walked for 90 minutes through a lush, green portion of the Stanford campus were more attentive and happier afterward than volunteers who strolled for the same amount of time near heavy traffic. The volunteers were allowed to walk at their own pace, but they were not allowed to have companions or listen to music. The results suggest that getting out into natural environments could be an easy and almost immediate way to improve your mood. So, let's build more parks.) Source

Researchers from World Animal Protection have discovered how to tell if a cow is in a bad mood – by measuring the temperature of its nose. (They carried out the study by stroking the animals to put them in a calm and relaxed state before they took their temperature. How do they know the cows weren't just annoyed, and wanted to get back to the field?)

A pig's mood is indicated by its tail. It is happy when the tail is tightly coiled and unhappy when it hangs limp. (I'm glad I haven't got a tell tail like that. Just imagine trying to play poker!)