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Science has upped it's game.

Most researchers seem to be pretty busy with conducting medical studies and making valuable scientific discoveries for society's gain, but this latest survey really takes it to the next level.

Bloom & Wild have worked with London Metropolitan University to undergo an experiment to figure out when the 'love hormone', AKA oxytocin, is released.

The anti-anxiety and stress reducing hormone is pretty special, the chemicals are made when you're in love, and having some KICK-ASS sex. We heart it. 

The study measured how the brain reacts to receiving certain gifts, and it's led to some pretty interesting, and useful, results. We're not hugely surprised at what topped the list, they're all unreal.

Research also suggests that people in the first three stages of love reported higher oxytocin levels that last for roughly six months to a year. At a chemical level, can presents recreate this high of lovestruck heartbeats?

Scientists reported that the subjects of the study showed an average increase of 73pg/ml in the hormone oxytocin after getting chocolates, and 62pg/ml after receiving flowers. Feeling loved comes in all shapes and sizes, it would seem.

The official top five items or experiences included on the list which trumped having sex were; chocolate winning the number one spot, then flowers, food, shopping and booking a holiday.

Receiving chocolate apparently creates a high increase in oxytocin the same rise in oxytocin comes from sex, so a quick nip down to Butlers could solve your stress issues. 

Flowers can spark the same feeling as love, relationships and sexy times, and a study by Havas Worldwide revealed that 57 percent of millennials think that food is better than sex. Damn.

hungry jennifer lawrence GIF

Retail therapy also made the list, according to the experiment. The neurologist David Linden, in his book The Compass Of Pleasure, explains that the experience of shopping triggers dopamine circuitry in the brain's mesolimbic pathway.

In plain-old-English, the mesolimbic pathway is a key part of how we experience entertainment and happiness, so having a sneaky online shop at ASOS is good for you. Thank God we have a valid excuse to do this now…

Booking a holiday is better than having some intimate. alone time with a partner, according to research. 16% of Brits claim to support this, so those Aer Lingus January sales must have had people feelin' pretty damn euphoric.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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To carry out their research, Bloom & Wild and London Metropolitan University split 30 volunteers into three groups.

Each were to receive a gift of flowers, chocolate, or water, and took saliva samples before the gift arrived, and then again 10 minutes after delivery, and finally 40 minutes after receiving the gift. 

It just goes to show, chocolate should always be cherished. We're in a loving relationship with Cadbury's Dairy Milk, and there are zero signs of a break-up coming our way.

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Actress, Kate Walsh recently opened up about a secret health scare, revealing that she was diagnosed with a brain tumour in 2015.

In a recent interview with Cosmopolitan, the former Grey's Anatomy star explained how she suffered a variety of physical and cognitive problems before being diagnosed with a “very sizable brain tumour.”

“My pilates instructor said, ‘Hey, your right side is dipping,’ and it didn’t feel like I was off, but I looked down and could see it. Then when I was driving, I started swerving into the right lane.”

The actress went on to explain show she also experienced extreme exhaustion and would often lose her train of thought.

“The exhaustion got to the point where I could drink five cups of coffee and still not feel awake or clear… I would lose my train of thought, I wasn’t able to finish sentences, and that was when I got really alarmed.”

Having originally put her symptoms down to the onset of menopause, a “instinct” prompted Kate to book an appointment with a neurologist.

“I went in for the MRI, and you know it's serious when they don't even wait, they're like 'hey, the radiologist wants to see you.' And she starts to say, 'Well, it looks like you have a very sizable brain tumour'… and I just left my body.”

Just three days after the shock diagnosis, Kate had the tumour surgically removed.

The actress took nine months off before returning to work and says the experience was the “wake up call” she needed to slow down.

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We've pretty much proved that chocolate makes us happy… but what about smarter?

When we were kids, our mammies would have shot a piece of chocolate away from our grubby little hands and replaced it with a banana… but it turns out that chocolate could be just thing the to give our brains a major boost.

 Chocolate pieces on aluminum foil

According to scientists at the University of L'Aquila in Italy, cocoa has "the potential to counteract cognitive decline and sustain cognitive abilities."

The study, which was published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition, says that flavanols are really good for our brains, and they're found by the bucket-load in cocoa.

The authors of the study, Valentina Socci and Michele Ferrara, found that those who consumed cocoa flavanols had improved memory, and were better able to focus and process visual information.

Chocolate Ice Cream in Sweet Cone

To further that, those who consumed chocolate regularly (which is anything from every five days to three months) had improved attention spans, better verbal fluency and were able to process information at a faster rate.

Not that we needed a reason to eat more chocolate, but let's just saw we won't feel as guilty munching on a Cadbury's Dairy Milk at lunch time.

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Well, in news you'd only hear in Ireland… a Trinity student wants to send an electric shock to your brain, and in return will give you a KitKat.

The study will last around two and a half hours, and involves sending short bursts of electrical brain stimulation and magnetic brain stimulation to your head during a once-off session.

And if you think he's just doing this for kicks, there's actually a logical reason behind it.

Image result for brain

The purpose of the Irish lad's research is to "refine a novel method of brain stimulation called transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS).

"This method can be used to study the role of various brain regions, particularly those involved in movement control," his official document reads.

And while we basically don't understand what that means, he seems to be doing it for a good cause, right?

Right?!

Image result for kit kat

The student shared a post on Reddit saying that he will "provide tea, biscuits, and perhaps even a KitKat” for taking part.

However, one interested Reddit user asked if it will mess up their hair, which he confirmed it would… so you know, maybe we'll take part in the next study.

To find out more, or if you want to get involved and have electric shocks sent to your brain, check out here.

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Ah, science. How we love you.

We particularly love science today because it has just figured out that drinking wine is good for your brain.

According to new research in the field of neurogastronomy, our brains have to work super hard to process the taste of some delish vino.

Wine Glass Bottle

In fact, it would be a similar intensity to listening to music or solving a maths problem.

One of the lead researchers, Dr Shepherd, says that wine molecules are harder to break down than other alcohols and actually don't possess an inherent flavour.

So, when we drink wine, our brains have to become stimulated and forced to create the flavour we're tasting.

Glasses of Rose Wine

The research, which was carried out at Yale, also said it's worth noting that 'flavour creation' is only triggered when we take the time to sip on a glass of wine.

If we just knock it back (as you do), the taste won't resinate, and that's why sometimes good wine doesn't taste so great.

So, there you have it. Drink the wine.

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The brain is one of the most powerful and incredible parts of the human body, but there is a lack of understanding about it that has caused us to believe some pretty crazy things about it.

Like most things that don’t have a black and white meaning, there are myths surrounding this incredible organ that people have believed for years, without actually checking if they are true or not.

This video will answer any brain busting questions like whether alcohol actually kills brain cells or the exact number of cells we have.

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