21 Facts That Will Bring A Smile To Your Face

Prepare yourself for an influx of oxytocin.

When we're bogged down in the day-to-day slog of life, it's easy to forget all the good stuff out there in the world.

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So I've made a decision — I'm now your joy delivery person, and I have a big ol' parcel of happy for ya! So sit in your favorite chair, pull on a cozy blanket, and prepare to feel all warm and fuzzy inside after you read this roundup of heartwarming, funny, and cute facts.

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1. Being near someone you love makes you sleepy.

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This is because they induce a wave of oxytocin, which has been shown to promote a sense of calm and relaxation — and may benefit sleep.

So next time someone falls asleep while you're talking to them, try to take it as a compliment!

2. Cows have best friends.

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A study at Northampton University in England monitored cows' heart rates and cortisol levels (two indicators that measure stress), then put the cows in three scenarios: in a pen alone, in a pen with another cow they didn't know, and in a pen with their closest companion in the herd. 

The cows' stress levels significantly dropped when they were with their favorite herdmate!

Bats, elephants, baboons, and dolphins also have best friends — in fact, dolphins even have names for one another.

3. There's a specific word in Japanese for the act of eating when bored: "kuchi sabishi."

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It's also known as having a lonely mouth, and it's something I seem to experience a lot...

4. Pigeons can tell the difference between impressionism and cubism, even identifying specifically a Monet vs. a Picasso!

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Researchers in Japan trained pigeons to tell the difference and peck the correct paintings. The birds did so with 90% accuracy!

5. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a Tootsie Pop? Well, human lickers at university found out!

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Purdue University, University of Michigan, Bellarmine University, and Swarthmore Junior High School all conducted very scientific studies, with results ranging from 144 to 411 licks.

6. There's a 191-year-old tortoise named Jonathan!

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He's the oldest known living land animal, according to Guinness World Records. He lives on the island of St. Helena and features on their 5-pence coins.

7. Japan has over 200 flavors of Kit Kats.

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Miki Kanoh, a media rep for Nestlé Japan, said the constant evolution of flavors is down to a convenience store model that requires stores to bring in new products every two to three weeks.

Special edition flavors get released for about this length of time and can be brought back by popular demand, as with the ever-popular strawberry and green tea flavor bars.

Many of the flavors focus on different regions, cities, and seasons, mimicking regional specialties like hojicha (roasted green tea) in Kyoto, ogura toast (red bean sandwich) in Tokai, and yahataya isogoro (a spicy, bitter pepper) from Shinshu.

There are also more out-there flavors like baked potato, melon and cheese, wasabi, and vegetable juice!

8. Wombats are the only animal whose poop is cube-shaped, and they stack them up to mark their territory.

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They're the only known species to do so, and their elastic-like intestines cause the shape.

9. The confetti that rains down on Times Square on New Year's Eve is literally made of people's hopes and wishes.

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People from all around the world can include their wishes for the new year on official Times Square confetti, either digitally or in person. 

You can submit a digital wish here!

10. Millions of trees grow every year, thanks to forgetful squirrels that can't remember where they bury their nuts.

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A study at the University of Richmond found out that squirrels fail to recover up to 74% of the nuts they bury. So it turns out that I'm like a squirrel when it comes to hair ties and lip balms...

11. Mister Rogers's mom knit all his sweaters.

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His signature cardigans were knitted by his mom, Nancy McFeely Rogers, every Christmas.

12. Rats giggle when you tickle them, and they love it!

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They especially enjoy a back or belly tickle. Their giggles are too high for us to hear, but a special microphone captured the squeaks so they can be played back in a lower register.

13. Window washers dressed up as superheroes to cheer up sick kids in a hospital.

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Local window washers dressed up as Captain America, Spider-Man, Flash, and Batman and hung outside the Iowa hospital, making both the windows and the kids' days brighter!

14. Cows produce more milk when listening to the song "Everybody Hurts" by R.E.M.

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They're also partial to Lou Reed's "Perfect Day"!

15. Night rainbows exist.

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Night rainbows, or moonbows, occur when light is refracted through water droplets — just like a rainbow. However, while a rainbow comes to life via the sun, a moonbow gets its light from the sunlight reflecting off the moon.

They're hard to see with the naked eye and often appear as a white circle, but there are some stunning photos!

16. Bats sing love songs.

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George Pollak, a neurobiologist at the University of Texas, said, "Their courtship songs are perhaps the most surprising, since each song is complex and structured.”

17. There's a Valentine's Day for single people in South Korea.

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Since many people get bummed out if they don't have a partner on Valentine's Day, South Korea also has a special day of equal importance for single people, known as Black Day, on April 14. It's a day to rejoice in singledom, often by wearing black and eating a dark-colored (and delicious) noodle dish called jajangmyeon.

In addition to Black Day, there's a White Day, which falls a month after Valentine's Day, on March 14. White Day flips the standard societal expectation on men to buy gifts for their beloveds and instead encourages women to buy for their partners!

18. Dogs do love their owners, according to science.

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Apparently, the caudate nucleus in the brain (associated with positive expectations) reacts most strongly to the scent of familiar humans. 

Another study also found higher levels of oxytocin, aka the "love hormone," in dogs after they spent time looking into their owner's eyes.

19. There’s a superhero with a hearing aid called Blue Ear that was created by Marvel Comics to encourage a little boy to wear his own hearing aid!

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Pedro Perez, aka Blue Ear, was created by Nelson Ribeiro and Manny Mederos at Marvel Comics when the mother of a little boy named Anthony Smith wrote to the comics company and told them her son wouldn't wear his hearing aids (which he called Blue Ears) because no superheroes had them.

The resulting Marvel comic book was a big hit with kids both nationally and around the world!

20. Bunnies literally jump for joy!

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When they have too much happy energy and they can't contain it, rabbits twist and jump in the air. This little joyful jump is known as a binky!

21. Lastly, the football huddle was invented so deaf players could discuss strategy without the opposing team seeing what they were saying.

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In the 1890s, Paul Hubbard, a quarterback at a college for deaf students, had his offense form a tight circle around him so they could discuss strategy without prying eyes.

Got a happy fact? Let me know in the comments! Let's keep this joy train moving!