The human body is capable of all sorts of cool tricks. You might be shocked by what you learn about yourself. From preventing a sneeze by pressing on your nose to scratching the back of your calf to stop the urge to pee, these tricks are absolutely fascinating.
We’ve gathered 50 of the most bizarre ones to share with you today. Once you learn a few, you’ll be very eager to try them out. We know we were. The best part is being able to impress your friends and family with all of your newfound knowledge afterward.
1. Humming is impossible if you hold your nose.
The only way to do it with your nose plugged is to hum through your mouth. It’s because humming requires you to exhale. The vibrations aren’t the same when done through the mouth though. They sound different.
2. Plug your ears to hear people better.
If you are in a loud concert or venue, block out the background noise by pushing your tragus into your ear. Then direct that ear at your friend. You will be able to hear what they are saying more clearly.
3. Calm anxiety by blowing on your thumb.
There is a connection between your thumb and the vagus nerve in your body. It’s the nerve that controls your heart rate. If you blow on your thumb, it will slow your heart down and in turn, lower your blood pressure.
4. Temporarily paralyze your ring finger.
“Fold your middle finger under your hand then put your hand on a table with the rest of the finger extended and flat on the table. Try to lift each finger individually. If you’re in the right position, you will not be able to lift your ring finger and it will feel paralyzed,” explains the Redditor. It’s a cool trick, but a little bit freaky to try out.
5. Press around the bridge of your nose to stop a sneeze.
Pressing the skin there causes your brain to think something is wrong and sends an alarm. It will then stop your body from continuing the sneeze reflex. On the other hand, if you want to cause yourself to sneeze, try looking at a bright light.
6. Place a pencil between your teeth to improve your mood.
The pencil has to cross your mouth. It works by holding your mouth open in a smiling position. The act of smiling naturally causes you to feel better.
7. If you make a “hoo” sound it feels cold. Making a “haw” sound feels warm.
Blow these sounds out of your mouth and see how it feels. You might be surprised. The sounds are basically opposites. One is cooling and the other is warm.
8. Touch your tongue to an ice cube to cure hiccups.
It’s a time-tested trick that has been passed down from generation to generation. Just press the ice cube up against your tongue. The hiccups should quickly disappear.
9. Scratch your ear to relieve a tickle in your throat.
If you stimulate the nerves around your ear, it can cause a small muscle spasm in your throat, essentially relieving the tickle. The reflex is part of a weird connection in the body between the ear and throat.
10. You can’t touch your left hand to your left elbow.
Sure, the left hand can touch your right elbow. However, a hand will never be able to touch its own corresponding elbow. Try it out now. It is physically impossible.
11. Fix a cramp in your right side while running by exhaling when you land on your left foot.
Gently massage the cramp at the same time. The same works the other way around. Exhale when placing your right foot on the ground if you have a cramp in your left side.
12. Squeeze your left thumb to get rid of your gag reflex.
Fold it into your hand and squeeze. It might just work because it is a distraction. However, there is some speculation that there is science behind it as well. We’re undecided at this time.
13. The elbow skin basically feels no pain.
Try pinching and squeezing it as hard as you can. It is extremely tough and there are not many nerves to get irritated there. You will likely feel nothing.
14. If you are having trouble getting out of bed, try holding your breath.
It will make you wake up very quickly. Holding your breath causes your heart to beat faster and propels your body into an active and aware state. You will instantly notice the difference.
15. Press on your upper gums to stop a nose bleed.
Press on your lips right above your two front teeth. The idea is that it can block the arteries that send blood to your nose. A little gentle pressure can make a big difference.
16. Your thumb and index fingers match the length of your nose.
If you hold your thumb against your index finger and put the tip of your thumb at the base of your nose, the tip of your index finger will touch the top of your nose. It’s surprising how precise a measurement it is.
17. Smelling rosemary can help improve your memory.
Research shows there is a link between rosemary and memory. The theory is that smelling it can help to increase acetylcholine in the brain. Acetylcholine is the neurotransmitter responsible for creating new memories.
18. Help yourself to swallow by tilting your head forward.
It’s an especially useful trick when trying to swallow big pills or medicine. It seems counterintuitive as most people tilt their head up and back. However, taking a drink and tilting forward causes the pills to float on the liquid straight to the back of your mouth.
19. If you don’t want to swallow, bite down on your tongue.
The further you stick your tongue out through your teeth, the harder it is to swallow. The tongue is required to get most food or drink items down. If you bite on it, it prevents the process from happening.
20. If a body part falls asleep, shake your head.
Everyone has had it happen before. You sleep on your arm or leg wrong and wake up to a pins and needles tingly feeling. If you shake your head when this happens, it will get the blood flowing back to the limb faster. Sometimes, when body parts fall asleep, it is because of compressed nerves in the neck.
21. Press your finger against a burn spot to prevent scarring.
If you burn yourself while cooking, press on the area with your fingers. It will return the temperature of the burnt skin back to normal more quickly and help to prevent blisters from forming.
22. You can move your eyes even when they are closed.
Try it out for yourself. Close one of your eyes. Touch your fingers against your eyelid and look back and forth. You’ll feel your eye move underneath the eyelid.
23. You can deceive a polygraph by pinching your nose.
Pinch it and then blow. You will feel the pressure in your ears. It will also slow down your heartbeat, eliminating any signs that you are nervous about the lie you are telling.
24. Put your hands under cold water to get rid of a headache.
The cold temperature will help to increase blood flow in your body. It’s an attempt to combat the cold. The hands are the best spot to do it because there are a lot of nerves there that are connected to the brain.
25. Your eyes can tell you that spring is coming soon.
It’s not because they can literally see spring coming. However, they will start to water more and become itchy. This is a sign that the season is about to change.
26. Change your metabolism by adding new physical activities to your routine.
Most people believe that their metabolism is set in stone. Although, you do have some control over it. Regular exercise is one way to increase your baseline metabolism.
27. Shut down the digestive system and achieve superhuman strength.
The process happens naturally when people feel like they are in danger. Their digestion shuts down and their adrenaline increases. It makes the muscles capable of incredible feats.
28. Alter your sense of taste by brushing your teeth.
Toothpaste actually contains chemicals in it that temporarily change the way your taste buds perceive flavors. It will amplify bitter flavors and reduce your ability to detect sweetness.
29. If you experience a migraine, it could be because of temperature change.
Extreme hot or cold changes can cause you to have a headache. If the weather outside is looking bad, stay inside where the temperature is nice and level. It can help out your migraine situation.
30. Fight acid reflux by sleeping on your left side.
When you sleep in this position, your stomach sits at a lower level than your esophagus. It makes it much harder for the acid to travel up. By the next morning, your acid problems will likely be a thing of the past.
31. Observe someones pupils to see if they are attracted to you.
If they like you, their eyes will dilate. It is a natural signal of attraction that they will be unable to hide. It happens without them even knowing it is occurring.
32. Your body sheds skin just like snakes do.
It is a weird trick that you might not even realize is taking place. It’s because the flakes of skin are so small that they are largely unnoticeable. You can help paper writer the process along by using certain types of lotions.
33. Overcome dizziness by sitting down.
Most of the time, dizziness is because the part of your vestibular system responsible for spatial orientation is out of wack. If you hang onto something sturdy or sit down, you should be able to regain your sense of balance. It also helps to avoid any bright lights.
34. Eliminate your need to pee by thinking about sex.
If you really have to go to the bathroom but need to hold it, try thinking about having sex. These sort of thoughts will naturally override your ability to pee. It is a major distraction for the mind.
35. Sex also cures headaches.
If you have a willing partner, sex is a great way to quickly resolve a headache. The endorphins that are released provide a soothing sense of pleasure. Some even work as natural painkillers.
36. You can reduce your stress levels by laughing.
It might be easier said than done. However, taking some time out to watch a comedy movie or joke around with friends can do wonders for eliminating stress. It’s a natural way to heal yourself that doesn’t involve drugs.
37. Relieve pain by coughing.
Any aches or pains can be temporarily relieved by coughing. It is an immediate way to decrease pain levels and is most effective when getting a medical shot or injection. It works by distracting you and increasing your blood pressure.
38. If you are worried about hypothermia, check your eyes.
When you are extremely cold and on the verge of suffering from hypothermia, your eyes will start to dilate. It is a good indicator that you are approaching the danger zone and need to get to a warm location immediately.
39. Stop a brain freeze by pressing your tongue to the roof of your mouth.
Have you ever bit into a scoop of ice cream and found yourself experiencing a brain freeze? The sensation can be quite painful. However, pressing the tongue as hard as possible against the roof of your mouth will stop it.
40. Use your ears separately to hear better.
It turns out, hearing in each of the ears is processed differently. Your right ear is better at processing speech and your left ear is better at processing music. This knowledge can come in handy when you are at a concert.
41. Chew gum when you’re on an airplane to help your ears equalize.
The jaw movement will help your body adapt to the pressure changes. You will feel the popping in your ears when it happens. It’s most prominent when the plane is taking off or landing.
42. Your sense of smell can be used to relive memories.
Smells are attached to memories. So if you want to travel back in time in your mind, just smell something that you would have smelled at that specific moment. Many moments from your past all have smells associated with them.
43. Clear your sinuses using your tongue and a flick of the fingers.
Press the tongue to the roof of your mouth. Then flick the spot between your two eyebrows with your fingers. This causes the bone in your nose to move back and forth and loosens up the sinuses.
44. Stop a toothache by placing ice between your fingers.
You don’t even have to apply the ice to your teeth. Instead, try holding the ice cube in between your thumb and pointer finger and rubbing it on the v in the middle. It can cut the pain from your toothache in half.
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45. Your heart can predict the future.
If you feel your heart starting beating fast, it’s because something scary or exciting is about to happen. Research has shown that it will often start happening 10 seconds before the event. Your body is able to anticipate the change.
46. Aching joints can predict the weather.
If someone tells you that their joints start hurting before bad weather approaches, they aren’t lying. It happens because of a change in atmospheric pressure before a storm or cold front. It causes an increase in fluids in the joints.
47. Stop your tears by looking up and holding your breath.
Afterward, exhale slowly. You’ll notice that it will be easier to stop crying. You can also pinch the bridge of your nose as it will help to block your tear ducts.
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48. Make your pupils dilate by thinking about dark spaces.
Imagine you are in the dark and your eyes will follow suit. The opposite works too. If you imagine you are looking at a very bright light your pupils will constrict. Imagination is very powerful.
49. Calm your urge to pee by scratching the back of your calf.
It works to slow down the messages that your bladder is sending to your brain. This reduces the urgency of your bathroom emergency. It’s a trick that can prove very useful if the line for the bathroom is really long.
50. Never miss a high five again.
The trick is to watch the person’s elbow instead of their hand. It stays in a much more fixed position than the hand so you won’t be able to be fooled. Then just high five their hand as you normally would.
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