Did you ever study Macbeth back in high school? Remember Lady Macbeth, who killed someone and then continually struggled to wipe imaginary blood off her hands? A new study, released by the University of Michigan, states that washing your hands indeed does bring moral cleanliness – but it also helps to lessen the affect of past choices that don’t have anything to do with your moral compass.

The study, according to ScienceDaily.com, was run by two University of Michigan psychologists, Spike W. S. Lee and Norbert Schwarz. They asked a handful of students and the university to pick ten CDs and rank them. Then, in a seemingly-unrelated test, they asked the students to survey soap.
Apparently, the original affect of choosing CDs led the students to justify what they were picking, but once they’d washed their hands, that need was eliminated. They were no longer doubtful, and they didn’t have to validate their choices.

So the next time you feel like you’ve made the wrong decision, wash your hands. Who knows? Maybe you’ll feel better afterwards.

Why do male robins have red breasts? Why are the colorful peacocks masculine? Who let the lions have the mane instead of the lionesses? In animal history, male animals have been much flashier, whereas females fade into the background. However, according to The Independent, this is not always true. The long-held belief was that males in the wild needed to attract their mates with their bright colors and showy ornamentation. However, the same is true for the females – the spottier the barn owl the better; the more colorful the bluethroat, the more birds she attracts.

Why have scientists virtually ignored this interesting fact? That’s the biggest question. Is it because of sexism? Perhaps. Maybe males are more wont to look at males in the wild – the few people who have studied it have been mostly women, but there are not many women in the field as well. Did they just not notice? Unlikely, because Charles Darwin was one of the more prominent figures to notice it.

We’re hopefully on the verge of finding out the correlation between the brightness of some animals and the drabness of others, and hopefully sexism won’t play a part. Keep an eye out for the type of thing that will put male animals to shame – females deserve the spotlight.

Do natural remedies, like putting sliced cucumbers over your eyes to get rid of puffiness, really work?

According to ScientificAmerican.com some natural concoctions really do work while others are not only unsuccessful, but actually potentially harmful. Exercise is one definite natural cure, as is sleep and eating veggies to get vitamins. But there are some less likely ones – lemons, for example, are filled with acids that help with wrinkles and acne. Also, eating foods rich in oil (omega-3) will help your skin. Those old wives’ tales you’ve heard about teabags and cucumbers? Those really are true. Also, anti-oxidants, meaning lots and fruits and vegetables, help with your breakouts.

On the other hand, those all-natural berry blends you read about? They won’t do a thing. In addition, smoking and eating lots of sugar are sure ways to ruin your skin. You may have heard that water will change your skin for the best, and that drinking eight glasses a day will keep the doctor away, but it doesn’t hydrate skin very well. That’s about the moisture level in your epidermis, and the ability it has to retain that moisture.

Don’t be completely cynical, but don’t be completely trusting, either. Once you finish reading this article, sure – head into your backyard, settle those cucumbers over your eyes, and know that they’re working. (At least according to Scientific American.)

Attractiveness has long been an important part of society. The general feeling is, if you’re beautiful, you have a higher ability to be happy. But according to ScienceDaily and researchers from the University of Georgia and the University of Kansas, being attractive matters more depending on your geographical location.

If you live in an urban area, the study suggests, you have a higher pressure to be attractive. In fact, women in these areas generally think that attractive people are more psychologically well than those who are unattractive. Beauty matters in socially mobile places more because you have your pick of friends and social activities, and associating with beautiful people is usually the choice made.

However, in rural areas, there isn’t so much variety. You’re going to socialize with people in the community if you live in a place where there aren’t a lot of people, and you aren’t going to be choosy. Perhaps more importantly, beauty will not ensure happiness. Even pretty urban women are at risk for psychological unrest.

So rather than worrying about your looks go out and have a good time with your friends, wherever you live.

Do you ever get that feeling that you just want to gobble up your sunscreen?

Nah, me, either.

But there can be consequences if you ever do eat it on a whim, or maybe just accidentally, CosmeticsDesign says. The zinc oxide particles contained in an average bottle of sunscreen (the same bottle that  has saved you from approximately fifty sunburns this summer), can be potentially lethal if ingested.

So be careful, especially around curious (and hungry) children. In the unlikely event that you decide to feast on your sunscreen, think twice.