Research Suggestions

ON FEATHERS: WRITING, WARMTH, SALES AND SEX

Posted on by vlaw759

I thought I knew feathers. Researching this blog revealed the vastness of my ignorance!

Feathers have a variety of uses across history, cultures, and industries. Here are some of the most common and notable uses:

Writing

Historically, writers used feathers (especially from geese or swans) to make quill pens before the invention of the metal nib pen.

Quill pens were used from around the 6th century until the 19th century, evolving as a primary writing tool during the Middle Ages and remaining dominant until mass-produced dip pens emerged around 1820.

Warmth

One princess enjoyed feather ticks so much that she slept on a pile of 40 of them—and still felt the pea on the bottom!

Today, people use down feathers from ducks or geese in jackets, sleeping bags, and blankets for their excellent insulation properties.

The use of feathers for bedding dates back centuries, providing insulation and comfort in featherbeds

As a child, I slept with feather ticks at my granny’s house. These were made primarily from chicken feathers, some duck, with the nibs cut off.

Feather ticks were common in historical bedding, often placed over a harder mattress to make it more comfortable. Also called a featherbed or tick, it’s a linen or cotton bag filled with feathery down and sewn shut, traditionally used as a mattress topper or blanket to add softness and warmth to a bed. Regarding the origin of the term “tick,” it refers to the fabric covering or bag that holds the feathers, not the insect.

Feather-filled pillows and comforters are popular for their softness and insulation.

Feather Market

There is money to be made in feathers! Recent market figures confirm that the global market in feather products is significant and expecting steady annual growth.

Down jackets: $28.49 billion in 2025

Sleeping bags: $2.67 billion in 2025

Down bedding: $3 billion in 2025

Decorative Use

Fashion designers often use feathers in hats, boas, and capes for fashion.

Emperor Pedro II of Brazil wearing a wide collar of orange toucan feathers

Costume designers use them for Carnival and performance costumes (e.g., burlesque, theater, and dance). Feathered fans are traditional and iconic in fan dancing (especially in styles like burlesque or Hawaiian hula).

Some designers add feathers to clothing, bags, and shoes for a unique, luxurious, or exotic aesthetic.

Many traditional cultural attires include feathery adornments, such as Native American headdresses, Hawaiian chieftain capes, and Siberian Sakha winter clothing.

Home Decor

Decorators use feathers in wreaths, garlands, centerpieces, and wall art.

I made this bouquet of feathers in crab tails!

DYI Crafts and Art

Jewelry (e.g., earrings, necklaces)
Scrapbooking and card-making
Dreamcatchers and other handmade decor
Used in paintings, sculptures, and mixed-media art projects

Spiritual and Healing Practices

In some Indigenous traditions, participants use feathers to waft smoke from burning herbs (like sage or cedar) during smudging ceremonies.

Some believe a feather can to help direct or cleanse energy during rituals.

Symbolism and Ceremonies

Feathers often represent honor, freedom, and spirituality in many cultures.

Eagle feathers are sacred and used in ceremonies, rituals, and as symbols of honor in many Native American traditions. The laws around possessing an eagle feather are complicated and vary from state to state.

In ancient Egypt, feathers symbolized truth and justice (e.g., the feather of Ma’at).

Feathers are sometimes used as symbols of achievement, such as in military or scout badges.

Military Uses

Historically, fletchers used feathers to stabilize arrows in flight, for battle, hunting, and archery demonstrations.

Feathers have adorned military uniforms in some historical periods (e.g., cavalry helmets or officer hats). Particularly on headgear, these feather adornments aid in battlefield identification.

Several Native America tribes present feathers to members for particularly courageous actions, such as military feats. These feather awards often form part of traditional regalia, including war bonnets and hair ornaments.

Musical Instruments

Artisans sometimes use feathers to decorate instruments like guitars, violins, ‘uli’uli, or drums for aesthetic purposes.

In some cultures, musicians have used feathers to create sounds or as part of musical instruments for millenia. Appalachian dulcimer players today sometimes use a feather quill to pluck the strings.

Sports

Fishermen use feathers to create artificial flies for fly fishing, mimicking the appearance of insects or baitfish.

The word “shuttlecock” comes from the projectile’s resemblance to a rooster’s tail. A traditional shuttlecock is composed of feathers secured in a cork wrapped in thin leather. Badminton is the most well-known sport that uses shuttlecocks. Players hit the shuttlecock back and forth over a net using rackets.

Battledore is an ancient game similar to badminton, where players use a small paddle (battledore) to keep a shuttlecock in the air for as long as possible. Less structured than badminton, battledore is often played casually or by children.

Hanetsuki is a traditional Japanese game similar to battledore and shuttlecock. Players use wooden
paddles to hit a shuttlecock and keep it airborne.

Home and Garden

Feather dusters are quite handy, traditionally used for cleaning delicate surfaces like lampshades, blinds, and furniture due to their softness and ability to trap dust.

Gardeners and farmers sometimes use feathers (especially owl feathers) in gardens or farms to deter pests like birds or rodents.

Environmental and Scientific Uses

Feathers are studied in biology and ecology to understand bird behavior, migration, and health.

Researchers use feathers in tracking and monitoring bird populations (e.g., banding feathers with identification tags).

Industrial Uses

Economists estimate that feathers yield a profit of about 50 cents per pound in industry, significantly higher than the profit from chicken meat—or so I read!

A byproduct of poultry processing, feather meal is used as a slow-release fertilizer in agriculture due to its high nitrogen content.

Research is ongoing into using feathers (keratin) to create sustainable materials like bioplastics or textiles.

Toys with attached feathers can stimulate playful cats or train hunting dogs.

Feathers provide extra comfort in pet nests or the filling of beds.

Ethical and Sustainable Considerations

Many feathers used today are byproducts of the food industry (e.g., from ducks or chickens raised for meat or eggs).

Feathers harvested specifically for use in fashion or crafts raise ethical concerns about animal welfare. Many people use synthetic feathers (made from polyester or other materials) as cruelty-free alternatives in fashion and decor.

And Because Sex Was Mentioned in the Title

Feathers have a long history of being used in sensual and sexual contexts, often for their tactile, visual, and psychological appeal, often used as part of foreplay, roleplay, or sensory exploration.

You can look it up!

Minneapolis hosts a city-wide pillow fight every year, perhaps the least erotic feathery orgy around!

Feathers can provide light, teasing touches to heighten sensitivity and arousal.

They are popular in sensory deprivation or tease-and-denial play. People might use feathers as part of bondage or restraint play, to enhance the experience of being controlled or immobilized. Partners may use feathers to explore each other’s bodies in new ways, adding variety to foreplay or massage.

Roleplay scenarios might feature feathers, such as feather dusters in domestic servant or maid fantasies.

Tantric or spiritual intimacy practices, where people use touch to deepen connection and mindfulness, may incorporate feathers.

In some cases, people use feathers in temperature play, either by chilling them or warming them.

Many people create homemade feather wands or ticklers by attaching feathers to handles or using them in combination with other tools like floggers or crops.

Issues to Consider

Ensure feathers are clean and free of allergens, especially if shared between partners or used in sensitive areas.

Always discuss boundaries and comfort levels beforehand, especially when introducing new sensations or tools.

Use soft, high-quality feathers to avoid irritation or discomfort.

Never use feathers in the eyes, ears, or throat, as they can cause injury.

Bottom Line: Feathers are useful as well as ornamental, valued for both profit and pleasure.

ON SWEAT: Triggers, Colors, and Gender

Posted on by vlaw759

Sweat—we all do it. Indeed, humans are the sweatiest of all animals. And there’s a lot more to sweating than feeling damp!

For one thing, it’s everywhere!

Japanese warriors perspired so much that their helmets came with drain holes (ase nagashi no ana) under the chin guard.

Humans have 2 to 4 million sweat glands distributed—except for ears, lips, and nails—all over the body, with higher concentrations in some places, like the palms, forehead, and armpits. Your feet alone have 250,000 sweat glands, more than on your back.

A “normal” person sweats about 275 gallons each year. This is enough to fill the gas tanks of three mid-size SUVs.

  • There are two types of sweat glands: eccrine and apocrine. Eccrine glands are found all over the body and produce a watery fluid, while apocrine glands are located in hairy areas (think groin) and produce a thicker, milky fluid.
  • About 99% of sweat is water, with the remaining 1% consisting of salts, proteins, and other substances.

Your Sweaty Friend

One might say sweat is the body’s best friend!

  • Sweating helps regulate body temperature. When the liquid on your skin evaporates, transforming from a liquid into a gas, it takes some heat from the blood right under your skin with it. Cooler blood cools us down.
  • Stress, anxiety, and excitement can activate sweat glands, leading to what is commonly known as “nervous sweat.”
  • Though not its primary function, sweating can help expel small amounts of waste products like urea and ammonia.
  • Unfortunately, mosquitoes, along with many other insects, are attracted to human perspiration. Insects need the sodium in salt, just like the rest of us, and our salty perspiration has what they need.

Surprising Sweat

Sweat has characteristics and roles that many people might not be aware of.

  • Sweat itself doesn’t smell. Perspiration dripping from your forehead and arms after a run is mostly odorless. The odor associated with sweating comes from bacteria breaking down the liquid on the skin’s surface.
  • Online sources are divided on whether men sweat more than women, but there is agreement that women have more sweat glands than men. Men start sweating sooner when physically active. One possibility is that the amount of perspiration is mediated by the size and shape of the body.
  • But women and men smell different. “Researchers asked 60 volunteers to squeeze cotton gauze in their unwashed hands for 10 minutes, then analysed the chemical profile of the volatile organic compounds (mainly derived from sweat) that make up a person’s scent. They were able to distinguish gender with 97% accuracy.”
  • Women often experience hot flashes and increased sweating during menopause. Similar symptoms are also possible in men, because their testosterone level drops with age.
  • Fitter individuals tend to start sweating sooner and more profusely than those who are less fit, because their bodies are more efficient at cooling down.

Sweaty Revelations

Sweat tells a lot about you.

  • Darker, more concentrated perspiration can be a sign of dehydration.
  • When a person sweats excessively, even when not hot or exercising, it may signal a medical condition called hyperhidrosis. An estimated 360 million people worldwide suffer from extreme sweating.
  • Recurring night sweats can be caused by several other health conditions—besides menopause and hyperhidrosis: hormone disorders, an infection, or side effects from certain medications.
  • Just like fingerprints, the composition of a person’s sweat is unique and can be used for biometric identification.
  • People might tend to bond more quickly when they have similar odor profiles.
  • Some foods increase sweating, include spicy foods like chili peppers, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, salt, meat, and many processed foods (especially the fat-filled ones).
  • Profuse sweating after eating, especially on only one side of the face, may be a sign of Frey’s Syndrome and might require medical treatment.
  • Fearful sweat is chemically different. Dogs and some humans can smell the difference.
  • Vegetarians have better smelling perspiration, according to one study. Women judged the sweat smell of non-meat eating and carnivorous men. The results: the vegetarian men had more attractive smelling sweat.
  • A genetic variation means that some people (mostly people of Asian descent) do not produce body odor, no matter how sweaty they get.

Odd Sweat

Sweat has some quirky aspects, too.

  • Sweat doesn’t drip off without gravity, so “astronauts wear special underwear on their spacewalks; it’s filled with cooling tubes that whisk the heat away. One bonus in the controlled environment of a space station: Any extra moisture from sweat that does get into the air is sucked up by the ventilation system and recycled into fresh water for the astronauts to drink.”
  • “Chromhidrosis” is a rare condition that causes colored perspiration, which can be yellow, green, blue, or even black.
  • Humans can sweat blood if they have a rare condition called Hematohidrosis. Capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to discharge blood. It occurs when the affected person is under extreme physical or emotional stress. This condition is so rare, only a handful of cases have ever been recorded.
  • Research from the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm suggests that sniffing sweat from strangers might help alleviate social anxiety.
  • The artificial sweat industry provides a variety of “sweats” depending on what it is needed for. Clothing, shoe, jewelry, musical instruments, and phone and tablet manufacturers all need to know how saltiness and pH (sweat is slightly acidic) affect their products. Forensic laboratories need a different blend for creating control fingerprints, whatever those might be.

Cultural Sweat

Sweat has played a role in various cultures and historical contexts.

Osho Inipi Sweat Lodge
  • Athletes in Ancent Greece scraped sweat, oil, and dirt off their skin after training at gymnasiums. This residue, gloios, was used to treat everything from skin ailments to joint inflammation.
  • Saunas are such an important part of Finnish culture that there are more saunas than people, including one attached to the Parliament building!
  • Several Native American communities, including the Lakota and the Maya, practice sweat lodge rituals. These steam baths are part of purification ceremonies and spiritual practices.
  • In some cultures, people view sweating as a sign of hard work and dedication. For example, in Japan, the phrase “sweat of one’s brow” is a compliment indicating diligence.
  • The “sweat of the brow” doctrine is an element of copyright law. It means that a creator has earned copyright control over their work by virtue of the effort expended to make it.

Useful Sweat

Sweat has contemporary uses.

  • Sweat sensors can monitor health metrics like hydration levels, glucose, and electrolyte balance.
  • Athletes use sweat analysis to optimize performance. By studying their sweat composition, they can tailor their hydration and nutrition strategies.
  • Because sweat is in part sourced from the liquid parts of blood, it’s packed with information: testing sweat can detect the presence of caffeine, alcohol, cocaine – or even spicy tomato snacks.
  • Sweat patches are sometimes used to monitor substance use over time.

Sweaty Interactions

Sweat also interacts with our surroundings.

  • When sweat evaporates, it absorbs heat from the skin, which can slightly cool the surrounding air.
  • The acids in sweat can alter the pH of materials it comes into contact with, such as clothing, mousepads, and musical instruments.
  • The salts in sweat can cause metals to corrode faster, which is why gym equipment and electronics often have protective coatings.

Mythical Sweat

Sweat myths debunked.

Healthy Sweat

Sweat plays a significant role in personal hygiene and health.

Bottom Line: Sweat isn’t just a sign of a good workout or a hot day; it plays a crucial role in our body’s ability to regulate temperature and maintain overall health.

DICTIONARY LOVE

Posted on by vlaw759

Given the season, I was tempted to write about New Year’s resolutions. Not wanting to repeat myself, I reviewed my blogs from 12/30/16, 1/1/19, and 1/3/23. And then I realized that all sorts of commentators and media were talking about how many people make resolutions (between 34 and 62%), who makes them (younger people), how many people keep them (fewer than half), what the resolutions are about (fitness, finances)… I decided I have nothing to add this year.

In the meantime, the Wall Street Journal recently (Dec. 20-21, 2025 issue) had a long article about the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. I venture to suggest that when asked about a dictionary, that’s the one most people think of. For generations, a copy has been a go-to gift for high school and college graduates, as well as miscellaneous other gift-giving occasions. In the late 1980s, Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary was on the Times best-seller list for 155 consecutive weeks; 57 million copies were sold, a number believed to be second only to sales of the Bible in the U.S.

Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary

And people hold on to them! My husband still has one from his last year as an English professor, the 9th edition, published in 1983.

Partying with half a dozen other writers, I asked whether they still use physical dictionaries. NO! Not one. They all look online (as do I). Still, physical dictionaries haven’t yet gone the way of the dodo bird: last year Merriam-Webster sold nearly 1.5 million physical dictionaries (according to that WSJ article).

I love dictionaries, so I researched their history for this blog. They have a fascinating (to me) history that reflects the evolution of language, literacy, and knowledge organization.

Dictionary History

Dictionaries have had a long run!

Pages from the Erya, in the Chinese Dictionary Museum

The earliest surviving monolingual dictionary is the Eyra, which Chinese scholars wrote in the 3rd century BCE. Translators have interpreted the title characters (爾雅) as “Progress Towards Correctness”, “The Semantic Approximator”, and “Approaching Elegance.”

Modern dictionaries evolved from early glossaries and bilingual word lists. Renaissance glossaries and later works like the Catholicon (1287) and Covarrubias’s Tesoro de la lengua (1611) paved the way for modern single-language dictionaries and standardized national lexicons. By the 18th–19th centuries, publishers were offering monolingual dictionaries, including comprehensive English dictionaries.

Early Beginnings

The earliest known attempts at word lists and glossaries date back to ancient Mesopotamia (around 2300 BCE). Scribes learning languages created Sumerian and Akkadian bilingual word lists.

Classical Antiquity

In ancient Greece and Rome, scholars compiled lists of difficult or rare words, often to assist with understanding classical texts. For example, Philo of Byblos and Aelius Donatus created early glossaries. Philitas of Cos wrote Disorderly Words to help his fellow Greeks decipher odd and archaic vocabulary, particularly in the works of Homer.

Medieval Period

During the Middle Ages, dictionaries were often glossaries—lists of difficult words with explanations—in Latin and vernacular languages. They were primarily tools for scholars and clergy.

The rise of vernacular languages in Europe led to more dictionaries aimed at explaining Latin terms or translating between Latin and local languages.

Renaissance and Early Modern Era

Close-up from the 1755 edition of Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language

The invention of the printing press in the 15th century revolutionized dictionary production.

In 1604, Robert Cawdrey published the first English dictionary, titled A Table Alphabeticall, containing about 2,500 words with simple definitions.

The 17th and 18th centuries saw the rise of more comprehensive dictionaries. Samuel Johnson’s Dictionary of the English Language (1755) was a landmark work, combining definitions with literary quotations and shaping English lexicography.

19th and 20th Centuries: The Oxford English Dictionary

Once upon a time, when asked what one book I’d want to have if stranded on a desert island, I didn’t even have to consider: “The Oxford English Dictionary, not in the condensed form.”

Actually, that answer could be challenged. I have the compact edition, and even that is two big, fat volumes (boxed, with a magnifying glass). The hard cover edition had 20 volumes, 21,728 pages. The OED is now being completely revised to produce an updated Third Edition.

What appealed to me was both the comprehensiveness of the listings and the inclusion of the history of each word.

The 19th century brought the creation of historical and etymological dictionaries, like the Oxford English Dictionary (OED) I discussed above, which began publication in 1884 and aimed to document the history and development of every English word!

Dictionary Types

Dictionaries expanded to cover specialized fields, slang, and dialects. The 20th century saw the rise of bilingual dictionaries and learner’s dictionaries to support language education and globalization.

I started collecting dictionaries when I started writing fiction. I have shelf after shelf filled with them!

When one thinks of specialized dictionaries, medicine and law come immediately to mind. But for my purposes, I needed the common language.—i.e., slang. To seem authentic—real, if you will—the thoughts and dialogue of characters are crucial.

One of my favorite dictionaries is Talk the Talk: The Slang of 65 American Subcultures. Groups from stamp collectors to people living in Antarctica, from Birders to con artists, to Wiccans, witches, and neo-pagans are included. It’s a fun read even if you aren’t a writer!

If you are a fan of Patrick O’Brien, Aubrey and Maturin series, there’s a dictionary for you!
I’ve published half a dozen short stories set during the American Civil War, and the Civil War Dictionary was invaluable for everything from what women’s underwear was called to what prostitutes were called, to … whatever.
I even have a dictionary of South African English—which I’ve never actually used but love having!

The Dictionary in the Digital Age

The late 20th and early 21st centuries introduced electronic dictionaries and online databases, making dictionaries more accessible and interactive. Platforms like Merriam-Webster Online and the OED Online offer constantly updated entries and multimedia content.

Artificial intelligence and corpus linguistics have enabled dictionaries to be more descriptive and data-driven, reflecting real-world language use. But when looking for a word, a meaning, or a spelling online, that is what you will get: that one word. By contrast, according to the WSJ article cited above, “One of the pleasures of having a dictionary at hand is the serendipity of idle browsing—of progressing from ‘crankshaft’ to ‘cranky’ to ‘cranbog’…” Online, you don’t get more than you ask for.

Bottom Line: For some of us, online searches will never replace physical dictionaries in our hearts.

WHEN ONE BRAIN ISN’T ENOUGH

Posted on by vlaw759
Multiple brain arrangement diagrams
One brain, two brains,
Three brains, or four,
Five brains, six brains,
Seven brains or more.

According to Merriam-Webster , brains are the central processing units (organs) whose function is to control functionalities of a living body. Who needs—or could even use—more than one brain? Certainly not humans!

But consider other animals, living other lives, needing to function differently to live and reproduce.

The current (10-09-2025) issue of The New York Review of Books had a l-o-n-g article on five (!) books about octopuses (Such Flexible Intensity of Life by Verlyn Klinkenborg). The first paragraph includes the sentence, “An octopuses’s brain is distributed throughout its soft, amorphous body: nine brainlike (sic) nerve clusters, one at the base of each arm and another at its head.” It’s a fun read about how octopuses live, why each arm needs a brain, and what several writers have to say about them.

My immediate thought was “Do other animals have more than one brain?” Read on to learn what I discovered!

Multiple Brains

For many animals, one brain simply isn’t enough for the job.

Cephalopod Brain Arrangements

Cephalopods include octopuses, squids, nautiluses, and cuttlefish.

Octopus brain and anatomy
Octopus Anatomy

These animals all possess many arms. Their central brains form a ring around their esophagus and their arms are constantly testing the environment, processing the information they gather, “thinking” for themselves.

Octopuses have nine brains. The main one is in their head. In addition, each arm can touch, control, and move independently of the others thanks to the cluster of neurons in it. This is part of what makes them so smart. They’re able to figure out puzzles, open containers, and untie knots. In total, octopuses have more than 500 million neurons, only 30% located in the central brain. The brains don’t have to communicate with one another to work, but they can stay in touch to be more effective. (For more fascinating details, check out Ze Facts’ video True Facts About The Octopus.)

Squids have three brains. The main one is used to control the body as a whole while the other two (optic lobes) are dedicated to the eyes. Squid brains resemble donuts in shape. Though there are three brains, they are relatively small compared to the size of the body. Based on research on squids, approximately 80 percent of the brainpower goes toward processing visual information.

Cuttlefish brain
Australian Giant Cuttlefish

Cuttlefish are cousins to octopuses and squids. With 500 million neurons dispersed throughout the body, some say they have 9 brains. Cuttlefish can count up to 5, on par with infant humans and young monkeys. They can delay gratification: hungry cuttlefish will resist mediocre treats for tastier ones delivered later, a sign of intelligence thought to be important for decision making and planning. When cuttlefish were trained to remember when and what they were fed, older cuttlefish did just as well as the young cuttlefish even though they showed other signs of aging

Insect Brain Arrangements

Scientists estimate there are more than 900,000 different types of insects. I’m concerned here with the brain arrangements of cockroaches, bumblebees, and mosquitoes.

Bumblebee brain
Bumblebee brain structure

Bumblebees have three brains as well. One controls the wings, another controls the stinger, and the third manages the antennae. These brains are more focused on instinct and basic memorization than actual memories and behaviors. Compared to other insects and their sizes, bumblebee brains are rather small. However, they are able to remember flowers and areas full of pollen for future use. They can find their way to previous locations, new areas, and back home.

Mosquitoes have three brains inside their body. The first is in the head, the second in the wings, and the third in the abdomen. These brains tend to focus on working the nearest body part. Mosquitoes have a central brain that runs the whole body, one that runs the wings, and one that runs the legs and stomach. Though their brains are tiny, about 1/1000th the size, and only 100 million neurons compared to 10 billion in people, they are still rather smart. They learn to avoid certain predator habitats, and how to find food and water via smell.

Cockroach brain
Head brain of a cockroach

Cockroaches have two brains, one in the head, the other near the abdomen. This is what allows cockroaches to continue to move for a while even if they become decapitated. Though they might live for a minute, they will still die shortly after decapitation. The two brains also allow cockroaches to move fast. They are also intelligent, remembering where they left items and recognizing various objects. They can even remember faces. Though their brains are about 1/20th the size of a human’s and have about a third of the number of neurons, they have twice as many synapses. These synapses are what pass information back and forth. This allows for memory storage and keeps the brain active.

Annelid Brain Arrangements

Annelids, aka segmented worms, include more than 20,000 species, none of which you’d want to invite for dinner. Many of them, including leeches and silkworm moths, have very interesting brain configurations.

Leeches may have the most brains of any animal. A leech’s body contains 32 different segments. Each of these segments has its own brain. These brains are actually small ganglions and are responsible for their specific section. Each of these 32 different brains have about 400 neurons. Together, there are about 500 unique types of neurons in one leech. This design might help them make faster decisions, slow down the aging process, or allow them to use brains in place of nerves.

Silkworms and silkworm moths, also have quite a few brains. They have 11 distinct brain lobes; other moths and butterflies don’t have as many lobes. Additionally, most other similar insects form one brain made up of several lobes, rather than distinct lobes. The brains of silkworms are less than a tenth of the size of a human brain. However, they’ve been shown to remember and learn information rather than just relying on instincts.

Gastropod Brain Arrangements

Snails and slugs, the two types of gastropods, have very similar brain structures. However, they’re not entirely the same.

Central ring ganglia of a Great Pond Snail

Snails have three to six brains! Originally, species had two sets of ganglia, or brains, for movement, breathing, and eating. However, in many species, the two sets fused into one and formed a nerve ring around it. In some species, especially the more primitive ones, it’s more likely to see two sets still, for a total of six brains instead of three.

Despite being fragile and simple, slugs have three brains. They are located in the esophagus and are called buccal, cerebral, and pleural. The buccal is used for feeding, the cerebral is used for movement and senses, and the pleural manages breathing and respiration. For a long time, slugs were thought to have pretty weak brains overall, especially considered to be weaker than average mammal brains. However, scientists found that slug brains work similarly to humans in some ways. They save memories and patterns in the same way the average human would.

Arachnid Brain Arrangements

Arachnids, which are not insects, by the way, have only one brain. Nevertheless, they can behave in ways that seem extra intelligent. Here, I’ll deal only with spiders as an example.

There’s a surprising amount of activity behind those eyes.

Spiders have large brains for their size, some spiders having brains that take up 80% of the body. The brain of a spider sits inside its fused head and thorax, surrounded by muscle and other tissues. The large brains are important for functions like web building or hunting. Behaviors that can be described as “cognitive,” as opposed to automatic responses, are fairly common among spiders. From orb weavers that adjust the way they build their webs based on the type of prey they are catching to ghost spiders that can learn to associate a reward with the smell of vanilla , there’s more going on in spider brains than they commonly get credit for.

Single Brains

Mammals normally have only one brain. However, exceptions can occur in dogs, monkeys, cats, and even human beings — but these are mainly due to polycephaly, a rare genetic anomaly when an animal is born with two heads. Which means two brains.

Mammals’ single brains come in a wide variety

No Brains

Scientists have not reached any consensus on whether zombies actually have brains of their own.

And there are some animals with no brains or nervous tissue of any kind.

They tend to be extremely simple animals possessing rudimentary biological characteristics sufficient for survival. Many are immobile, using sensory nerves to “find” food and avoid danger. Oddly enough, they are similar to technology (such as computers and smartphones), which also use sensors to detect light, movement, chemicals, and so on. Brainless animals operate in the same manner, allowing them to do the things they need to survive.

A Few Examples

Sponges survive on the sea floor by taking nutrients into their porous bodies. There are conflicting theories as to whether sponges have always been this way or evolved to get rid of their brains to be more energy efficient.

Sea urchins are pointy, spiky animals, you don’t want to step on while at the beach. Fortunately, outside of South Florida, sea urchins are not poisonous. They have various numbers of legs and control feeding by way of a water vascular system. That system changes the amount of pressure and water in its body, in order to move faster. (Starfish operate the same way.) Its mouth is beneath it. They expel waste from the top of their bodies. The sea urchin sits on stones, scraping and feeding on the algae that helps keep the ocean clean.

Sea urchin innards

Sea cucumbers look like worms and feed on plankton. They’re everywhere and extremely dangerous. They can release a toxic substance (holothurin), which can blind humans permanently. However, without a brain, they’re not a deliberate threat. There are more than a thousand types of sea cucumbers. Many of the species live in deep water. They feed instinctively, using tubular feet around the mouth to catch and take aquatic invertebrates, algae, and waste. These creatures exhibit asexual and sexual reproduction.

Jellyfish (sea gooseberry) anatomy

Jellyfish (or “jellies”) are a family of translucent animals, famous—perhaps infamous—for their sting. When their tentacles touch a foreign object (such as a swimmer) they release a shooting sting. That sting releases a toxin capable of neutralizing or killing most intruders, though humans usually experience only temporary misery. Jellyfish are uniquely mobile. All other brainless animals are pretty much stationary, often spending their entire lives in a single spot. However, jellyfish move with the current in oceans and bays. They also squirt water to move forward. Thus they can propel themselves toward prey, such as plankton. Their ability to move also helps them avoid predators, such as fish, turtles, and seabirds. The jellyfish functions through a network of sensory nerves.

Bottom Line: Animals have the number, size, and structure of the brains they need to live, function, and reproduce.

Additional Fun Fact: Last week, I talked about how there are museums for seemingly everything out there. I’ve found a Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art at the University of Oregon!

THERE’S A MUSEUM FOR THAT

Posted on by vlaw759

Say “museum” and one immediately thinks fine arts, or maybe history or science. At least that’s my inclination. But when traveling abroad, I was drawn to the quirky side: museums of torture (Amsterdam), sex machines (Prague), and leprosy (Bergen, Norway)—all part of the tourist experience!

The Cancun Underwater Art Museum in Mexico requires snorkeling gear to visit.

On the domestic front, a few years ago I visited a depression era glass museum in Lancaster, Ohio. I thought that special, but it turns out there are 232 glass museums just in the United States and Canada! And as for my other “unusual museum” experiences? They are far from unique. Torture museums: at least 25, including 4 in North America. Sex museums: at least 33 (7 of them in North America), plus 2 virtual ones. Even leprosy has 8 museums across the globe.

What Makes a Museum?

Humans have been curating and displaying interesting collections for thousands of years.

Among the displays at the Icelandic Phallological Museum are specimens from elves and trolls. However, because elves and trolls are invisible, those display cases appear empty.

In Greek mythology, the Muses were sister goddesses who inspired science, literature, and the arts. The first museums (mouseion) were shrines to these divine sources of inspiration.

In the 6th century BCE, Princess Ennigaldi of the Neo-Babylonian Empire curated a collection of Mesopotamian artifacts with origins spanning 1,500 years. The Capitoline Museums in Rome have housed Roman art and antiquities since 1471. Alongside collections of Mauritian art and history, the Blue Penny Museum in Port Louis, Mauritius, showcases the Blue Penny and Red Penny, two of the rarest and most valuable stamps in the world.

Some museums exist entirely in the cyberworld. Rock harpist Deborah Henson-Conant proudly curates an online Burnt Food Museum, showcasing her own culinary disasters. Minecraft players have created several replicas of real-world museums in online servers, making them accessible to players around the globe.

Strangest Museums

Recently, The Wall Street Journal (8-28-25) featured an article about a jellyfish museum in Kyiv, Ukraine. And that led to an online search for off-beat museums around the world. Here is a non-comprehensive list of those I found. Feel free to explore any of these:

Baku Museum of Miniature Books
The Baku Museum of Miniature Books began as the personal collection of Zarifa Salahova and has grown to more than 6,500 tiny tomes in the heart of Azerbaijan.

And then I came across 1160 Unusual Museums in the United States – Atlas Obscura Discover 1160 unusual museums in the United States. · The Whale Museum · Karpeles Manuscript Library Mini Museum · The Lagoda · Dauer Museum of Classic Cars.

Clearly there are more weird museums that I can list here!

Bottom Line: If you’re interested in it, there’s no doubt a museum for it somewhere!

What is Pet Love Worth to You?

Posted on by vlaw759

The Wall Street Journal recently (7/2/25) featured a story about rich people in Sǎo Paulo, Brazil who pay up to $200 per hour for an off-duty police officer and his scent hound to find lost pets. Sometimes the cost of flights to and from far parts of the country were added to the bill to find the missing pet. I may be in the minority here, but that seemed truly shocking to me.

Cost of Finding a Lost Pet

So of course I searched online for more info. Several options came up immediately.

(Please note: the citations in this article are informational examples and imply no endorsement or recommendation!)

Pet Radar

“Lost pet? Don’t panic. We’re here every step of the way – 24/7 support and guidance. Find Your Lost Pet in Your City. 8000+ Pets Found. Start now! Start in 1 Minute. 5 Stars on Google & FB. 100% Satisfied Guarantee. 24/7 Direct Help. Not satisfied? Money Back. 68% Gets Found.”

Paw Boost

“Find Your Lost Pet And Alert Local People on Facebook & Notify the Rescue Squad™, For Free. Put Out a Free Alert! We Have Over 4 Million Pet Lovers in Our Alert Network. Boost Recovery Chances. Post A PawBoost Alert. Email Shelters For Free. Notify Thousands Nearby.”

Pet Detectives

The Pet Detectives is a company that has established itself as a market leader in the investigation of animal theft and the recovery of stolen and missing cats… This company is located in the UK, and has a TV show Pet Detectives.

As in most other professions, there are specialists. For example:

12 Years of Pet Detective Experience
After thousands of lost cat cases all over the world, I’ve learned there is no “cookie-cutter advice” for every lost cat case. What does work is tailoring your strategy to your situation (indoor-only cat or outdoor access) with methods curated for each cat’s personality.

Kim the Cat Finder

According to the Brazilian pet detective in the WSJ article, dogs want to be found but cats, not so much.

But even if your pet never leaves home, pet love can be pricey! The rest of this article will focus on cats and dogs because they are the most common pets in the U.S.

The Cost of Acquiring a Pet

American Curl

As a cat owner for more than twenty years, I was aware primarily of relatively small veterinary bills. The cats had come free, one from a shelter, the other from a farmer’s barn. I was completely unaware that people actually pay for cats, sometimes a lot. I found one listing that said buying an American Curl, for example, costs $1000 to $2000. They are really cute, but still…

Cats

A 2019 Yahoo article, “The Most and Least Expensive Cat Breeds in the World,” quotes what it calls “sometimes staggeringly high prices” for 15 cat breeds. Here are the acquisition cost estimates the article listed for the world’s most expensive breeds:

Ashera Cat
  • Ashera $75,000 to $125,000
  • Peterbald $1,700 to $3,000
  • Savannah $25,000
  • Bengal $2,000 to $5,000
  • Persian $3,000
  • Sphynx $900 to $1,200
  • California Spangled $800 to $3,000
  • Maine Coon $1,000 to $3,500
  • Egyptian Mau $500 to $800
  • Russian Blue $400 to $3,000
  • British Shorthair $800 to $1,000
  • American Curl $800 to $1,200
  • Korat $600 to $800
  • Ocicat $800
  • Scottish Fold $800 to $1,500

PetKeen.com published a similar article, “11 Most Affordable Cat Breeds (with Pictures)” listing these affordable breeds and their estimated purchase prices:

Snowshoe Kittens
  • Turkish Van $200
  • Ragdoll $400
  • Siamese $200
  • Burmese $500 to $1,000
  • Manx $500 to $800
  • Himalayan $300
  • Cornish Rex $100
  • Oriental Shorthair $400 to $500
  • Havana Brown $300 to $1,500
  • Snowshoe $200 to $250
  • Domestic Shorthair <$50

Dogs

An article at Brownsburg Animal Clinic compared purchase prices for popular purebred and crossbred dogs, finding (not surprising to me) that purebreds are more expensive than crossbred dogs.  

French Bulldog
  • Labrador Retriever $650 to $4,000
  • French Bulldog $3,000 to $10,000
  • Golden Retriever $750 to $5,000
  • German Shepherd $300 to $3,200
  • Standard Poodle $300 to $3,000
  • Average purebred price $1,000 to $5,040

Despite these purebred costs, cats are generally cheaper than dogs due to lower adoption fees, and because they require less maintenance and fewer resources.

Shelter Pets

from The New Yorker, July 7

How much do animal shelters typically charge for adoption fees? A discussion on Quora provided a few examples (Jun 15, 2023): “At my shelter puppies are the most expensive. Cost depends on age. Dogs range from $450 to $100. Kittens are $125. Cats $40 to $20.”

The Animal Humane Society of Minnesota uses a sliding scale to determine adoption fees. Pets with special needs or who have been in the shelter longer can be adopted at a lower cost than others. They also have an option to delay the decision. If you need more time to complete an adoption, you can place an animal “on hold” for 24 hours for a fee of $30 for dogs and cats, or $10 for all other animals.

Bertie is available for adoption from the Henrico Humane Society now!

Henrico Humane Society

  • Kittens – $125 (6 months and younger)
  • Two Kittens – $175 
  • Adult Cats – $100
  • Senior Cats – $50 (10yrs +)
  • Puppies – $250 (12 months and younger)
  • Adult Dogs – $175
  • Senior Dogs – $100 (8yrs +)

Richmond SPCA Adoption Fees

Polo is available for adoption from the Richmond SPCA now!
  • Adult cats: $130 (ages 6 months and older)
  • Kittens: $160 (younger than 6 months)
  • Adult dogs: $160 (ages 6 months and older)
  • Puppies: $200

Cost of a Pet’s Medical Care

But back to veterinary bills: Of course the cost of veterinary bills varies depending on the type of visit, the location, and the specific needs of the pet. Routine vet visits in 2025 can range from $70 to $174 for dogs and $53 to $124 for cats. Emergency vet visits can be significantly more expensive, potentially ranging from $200 to $10,000.

Besides emergency care, modern veterinary hospitals provide virtually all the types of care that human hospitals do. Veterinarians help owners keep pets healthy as well as treating infections and injuries. Many veterinary services treat chronic medical conditions, including arthritis, cancer, physical therapy, cardio-pulmonary services, etc.

Cost of Online Pet Doctors

Just like human healthcare providers, many veterinarians are now offering services online. Virtual appointments offer pets the same convenience and accessibility as their owners. Additionally, they allow pets who become anxious or volatile in a vet’s office to see their doctors in a calm, familiar environment.

Some telehealth veterinarians offer monthly or yearly subscriptions. Others charge a fee for each visit.

However, most online veterinarians cannot diagnose pets or prescribe medications over the internet.

Cost of Pet Insurance

No wonder so many people opt for pet insurance! This, too, is a big market. Pet insurance typically comes in three options: accident-only, accident and illness, and wellness. According to the North American Pet Health Insurance Association, the average monthly pet insurance premium for accident and illness coverage is $56.30 for dogs and $31.94 for cats. However, there are plans for as little as $16 a month for dogs and $10 a month for cats.

Owners can even get a credit card specifically for pet health care—though why one would not use any regular credit card is a mystery to me. Some companies, such as All Pet or CareCredit, offer special rates and cashback options for healthcare spending.

Cost of Routine Maintenance

The annual cost of cat ownership can range widely, but generally falls between $340 and $4000. It depends on factors like food and litter choices, veterinary care needs, and whether the cat requires ongoing medical treatment.

For dogs, a recent survey gives an average annual cost of $4,512. These costs also vary widely, depending on the same factors as for cats.

Food alone is notable: the annual cost of dog food can range from $250 to $700. The annual cost of cat food can range from $225 to $1,980, depending on the brand, type of food, and frequency of feeding.

No doubt you are aware of what I call TV advertised convenience: Fresh Pet and Chewy will deliver to your door—for a fee.

Bottom Line: Consider the above factors when you think of pet ownership (whether cat, dog, or something else entirely), consider your personality and finances, and then decide the price you will pay for pet love.

SWEET: WHEN TOO MUCH OF A GOOD THING IS A BAD THING

Posted on by vlaw759
sweet cupcake

Sugar here,
Sugar there,
Sugar in your pasta sauce
Sugar from your pear.
Sugar on your cereal
And in your bakery treat.
The more sweetness you enjoy
The more you want to eat!

That’s a fact—and it’s bad news. The American Heart Association recommends limits on the amount of sugar you consume every day:

  • 25 grams (6 teaspoons) for women
  • 36 grams per day (9 teaspoons) for men

According to Anna Taylor, RD, LD, “The average American eats about 68 grams [~16.3 teaspoons] of sugar per day. That can add up to as much as 28 pounds of body fat per year.”

Too Sweet

But it’s even worse than getting fat. According to the AARP Bulletin, May/June 2025, eating a lot of sugar causes your body to age at seven times its natural rate. It ages you in several ways:

Magazine ad for GW sugar from 1930s
  • Raising dementia risk by increasing inflammation and weakening the blood-brain barrier.
  • Making your belly bigger, which indicates that your liver is storing fat, which can lead to higher cholesterol, insulin resistance, cardiovascular disease, and stroke.
  • Storing fat in the liver can also lead to nonalcoholic fatty liver disease.
  • Making it less likely you’ll eat enough healthful foods.
  • Increases risk of diabetes.
  • Worsens menopausal symptoms, including hot flashes.
  • Promotes tooth loss by damaging tooth enamel and creating gum inflammation.

Hidden Sugars

The Cleveland Clinic and the American Heart Association strongly support limiting table sugar. It’s high in calories and offers no nutritional benefit. Besides which, it’s hiding in some favorite foods:

  • Condiments such as ketchup and salad dressings
  • Pasta and barbecue sauces
  • Flavored yogurt, especially low-fat ones
  • Granola, instant oatmeal, and other breakfast cereals
  • Nut butters, both peanut butter and others
  • Drinks, which can contain more than three tablespoons of added sugar per serving

Check your food labels for hidden ingredients. Added sugars now must be specifically listed. Especially look for fructose, glucose, and sucrose.

Peanut Butter
Salad Dressing
Pasta Sauce

The good news is that whiskey has no added sugar! The bad news is that it’s still empty calories and is otherwise hazardous to your health.

Naturally Sweet

The best way to sweeten food and drinks is with fresh or frozen fruit, which provide nutritional benefits such as fiber, vitamins, potassium, and antioxidants.

So, what about natural sugars? Things like raw honey, maple syrup, agave nectar, and raw sugar.

The good news is that some natural sweeteners provide a few more nutrients than table sugar. Raw honey and pure maple syrup both help feed gut flora, keeping your digestion on track.

Agave nectar, although natural, provides fewer nutrients than raw honey or pure maple syrup. It contains as many carbs and calories as table sugar. However, it tastes very sweet and so you might use less.

The bad news? They’re all still forms of sugar, high in calories. All natural sugar should be counted toward your daily sugar intake.

(Beware: Honey shouldn’t be given to infants under the age of 1 because of possible botulism bacteria spores.)

Artificially Sweet

So, just switch to artificial sweeteners? Problem solved? NO! Common artificial sweeteners, including saccharin (Sweet n’ Low®), aspartame (Equal®), and sucralose (Splenda®), come with concerns of their own.

According to The Cleveland Clinic, “Just as with sugar, artificial sweeteners may cause you to crave more sweet and sugary foods. Artificial sweeteners often include sugar alcohols. One sugar alcohol commonly used in artificial sweeteners, erythritol, has been linked to increased risk for heart attack and stroke.”

Some researchers suggest artificial sweeteners may be linked to a range of other health conditions , including having obesity, hypertension, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and more. However, those outcomes haven’t been validated across the board. Research is still ongoing.

Bottom Line: Roses are red.
Violets are blue.
Sugar is sweet
But BAD for you!

STEALING INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY!

Posted on by vlaw759
Plagiarism Today
Recent article from Plagiarism Today

Plagiarism is the act of presenting someone else’s work, words, or ideas as your own without proper attribution. (Plagiarism.org, Yale University) Plagiarizing is representing another person’s language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one’s own original work. Most people consider it a violation of academic integrity and journalistic ethics. (Wikipedia)

Plagiarism can take many forms, according to Bowdoin College:

  • Direct plagiarism (word-for-word copying without quotation marks)
  • Self-plagiarism (submitting your own previous work without permission)
  • Mosaic plagiarism (borrowing phrases without quotation marks or using synonyms while keeping the original structure)
  • Accidental plagiarism (neglecting to cite sources)
Fiona Lisa by AndrewSS7

The University of Oxford defines plagiarism as “Presenting work or ideas from another source as your own, with or without consent of the original author.”

The above would make it seem as though plagiarism is largely an academic concern, but not so. It can be a concern for creative writers, musicians, visual artists, essayists—pretty much anyone who comes up with a concept or product and makes it public. As stated in a slightly different way, plagiarism is the use of another’s work, words, or ideas without attribution. (Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning) It is also defined as the use, without giving reasonable and appropriate credit to or acknowledging the author or source, of another person’s original work. (Stanford Office of Community Standards)

Is It Plagiarized?

In actual practice, plagiarism may not be so clear. For example, professional speech writers write the words for politicians or others who frequently speak in public. Is the speaker plagiarizing?

Fan Works

from Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

And then there is fan-fiction. The entire point is to use characters or plot lines from the works of a popular, admired writer. The source of the ideas is inherent in the genre. Is further acknowledgement required? Or permission?

For example, there are hundreds of “variations” on Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. Using the characters and place names and some of the basic tenets are central to these works. And whatever else changes, whatever obstacles they face, Elizabeth and Darcy come together in the end.

Common Facts

American Gothic, not plagiarism
American Gothic by Udronotto

What about facts? For example, what is the most popular spice in the United States? Black pepper. This same information can be found on numerous websites. Is a reference necessary, or can one say “according to sources across the web”?

As a writer, I have a notebook of words or phrases I’ve come across that strike me as strong or effective. Beef-brained. Butt-polished pews. Veins stand out like blue worms twisting. Skinny and straight as a broom handle. A look so pointed it could bruise. Dare I ever use such in my own writing? I have no idea where I heard or read them.

Plagiarism in the Public Domain

And what about public domain? According to Wikipedia, “The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. Those rights may have expired, been forfeited, expressly waived, or may be inapplicable. Because no one holds the exclusive rights, anyone can legally use or reference those works without permission.”

“As examples, the works of William Shakespeare, Ludwig van Beethoven, Miguel de Cervantes, Zoroaster, Lao Zi , Confucius, Aristotle, L. Frank Baum, Leonardo da Vinci and Georges Méliès are in the public domain either by virtue of their having been created before copyright existed, or by their copyright term having expired. [1] Some works are not covered by a country’s copyright laws, and are therefore in the public domain; for example, in the United States, items excluded from copyright include the formulae of Newtonian physics and cooking recipes. [5] Other works are actively dedicated by their authors to the public domain (see waiver); examples include reference implementations of cryptographic algorithms. [6] The term public domain is not normally applied to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, in which case use of the work is referred to as ‘under license’ or ‘with permission’”.

Public Domain, Wikipedia authors

Common knowledge does not need to be cited. But what qualifies? Information generally known to an educated reader, such as widely known facts and dates, and sometimes ideas or language. Information that most people know or can find out easily in an encyclopedia or dictionary. MIT says it’s information shared by a cultural or national group, and includes knowledge shared by members of a certain field. Just about any subject has common knowledge, including science, literature, history, or entertainment. That George Washington was the first president of the United States is common knowledge for most citizens of the U.S.

Last Supper, not plagiarism
The Last Supper by R. Smith

If you want more examples, a search for “common knowledge questions” will give you many options.

The widespread availability of AI has further complicated issues of plagiarism. Most generative AI systems and large language models rely heavily on creative output (music, writing, and visual art) taken without the artists’ knowledge or permission to generate imitations. Students now openly admit to using generative AI to plagiarize all of their college assignments.

Plagiarism Fallout

Girl with the Pearl … Necklace by limpfish

Consequences of plagiarism in school can include failing grades, suspension, or expulsion. (Yale University) Academic Institutions may fire or otherwise censure faculty members who plagiarize. Novelists, composers, or visual artists may sue a plagiarist and win monetary compensation. And regardless of anything else, a plagiarist suffers public shame for the theft of intellectual property.

By any definition, plagiarism is bad. So, don’t do it! If you don’t want to plagiarize “accidentally” there are tools to help you. Here are two I quickly found online:

(1) Instant Plagiarism Scan – Ensure originality and make the grade with Grammarly’s AI-powered plagiarism checker. Don’t risk plagiarizing! Instantly find and add sources for your work. Try it today. Fix punctuation mistakes. (https://www.grammarly.com/plagiarism/checker)

(2) Instant Plagiarism Scan – Plagiarism checker: Fast, Reliable & User-friendly. Perfect For Students & Professionals. Get Instant Plagiarism Analysis Write Clear, Compelling Papers And Essays with JustDone AI Humanizer Tool (https://www.justdone.com/plagiarism)

Bottom Line: Think—and research if necessary—before you publish.

Psychology of Clothing

Posted on by vlaw759

The relationship between clothing and psychology has been studied for decades. The major point overall is that the relationship between clothing and psychology is bidirectional. Not only do our clothing choices reflect our identity, but they can also influence our thoughts and feelings.

Clothes can be a way to express ourselves without saying a word. As a form of nonverbal communication, clothes can reveal our inner emotional states to others—or hide them.

Mood

On a given day, clothes may be a reflection of one’s mood OR a projection of the mood we want people to think we are feeling. For example, someone who wears bright colors may be feeling outgoing and confident, or want to appear that way. Someone who chooses black may be reserved and serious, or want to seem so. Also, over centuries, dark and dull colors were the colors of mourning, sometimes required more than felt.

On days when we feel happy and positive, we tend to gravitate towards bright colors and playful patterns. Conversely, during times of sadness or anxiety, we may find ourselves reaching for comfortable and cozy clothing in neutral tones. Our clothing can become a reflection of how we are feeling.

Nostalgia

Certain clothing items can evoke nostalgia. As humans, we have an innate ability to attach emotions and memories to objects, including clothing that holds sentimental value or reminds us of a specific time or place in our lives. By definition, nostalgia means thinking of past happy moments filled with joy and warmth.

One reason certain clothing items hold strong nostalgic value is because they were worn during significant events or milestones in our lives. For example, a wedding dress, or a graduation gown that brings back memories of hard work and achievement.

The opposite is also true: some items of clothing or jewelry may bring back powerful memories of loss or grief.

Comfort

Physical comfort is essential for our overall well-being. When we wear comfortable clothing, we feel relaxed and at ease. It allows us to move freely, without restrictions or discomfort. Comfortable clothes can also boost our confidence as we don’t have to constantly adjust or worry about how we look. This sense of ease can positively impact our mood by reducing stress and anxiety levels.

Self-Perception

The clothes we wear can also influence how we feel about ourselves. Studies have shown that people tend to feel more confident when dressed more formally than when dressed more casually. When we feel confident and put together, it can positively affect our mindset and give us a sense of power and control. The explanation posited is that dressing in professional attire signals importance and authority, which can boost one’s self-esteem. This phenomenon, known as “enclothed cognition,” highlights the powerful impact clothing can have on our psychological state.

Clothing Affecting Behavior

Various studies have shown that what we wear can affect not only our confidence levels, but also decision-making abilities, and even physical performance.

The saying “dress for the job you want, not the job you have” holds true in many professional settings. When we dress professionally, we are projecting an image of competence, credibility, and authority. Participants in a study paid closer attention and made fewer mistakes on a test when they wore white lab coats. Women in another study performed either worse or more variably on both athletic and cognitive tasks when required to wear clothing that draws attention to their bodies. This not only affects how others perceive us but also how they respond to us, as a competent authority—further boosting self-esteem and confidence.

Reflective and Affective Color

Color can both affect our emotions and reflect them. For instance, red is associated with passion and energy while blue represents calmness and stability. Our brains associate green with nature, growth, balance, and harmony while yellow represents happiness and optimism. These associations can shape how others perceive us based on the color of clothing we choose to wear.

The colors we choose to wear have a significant impact on our mood and behavior. This is because colors can evoke different emotions and feelings, making us feel happy, calm, energized, or even anxious. The psychology of color has been studied extensively, with research showing that certain hues can trigger specific reactions in the brain.

Personality for Color Preferences

Color preferences are related to personality traits.

Juliet Ju and Jung Hee Ha researched the relationships between personality and color preferences in 2022. Their research reveals a positive correlation between agreeableness and preference for yellow, light blue, and white, and a negative correlation between agreeableness and a preference for red. In addition, they found a positive correlation between conscientiousness and a preference for light blue and dark blue, and a negative correlation between conscientiousness and a preference for red.

Meanwhile, emotional stability was positively correlated with a preference for light blue, dark blue, and white, and negatively correlated with red and yellow. Finally, openness to new experiences was positively correlated with a preference for bright blue and white, and negatively correlated with a preference for orange.

This research found that color preferences significantly predicted all personality traits except extraversion. Agreeableness was significantly predicted by yellow, light blue, and white preferences. They found that the preference for light blue significantly predicted conscientiousness. Emotional stability was significantly predicted by red and light blue preferences. Openness to new experiences was predicted by green, purple, and white preferences.

Good to know if you are trying to manipulate the impression you are making!

Other Color Associations

Other research and discussions across the web indicated additional color associations.

Red is associated with passion, love, and power. It is a bold and intense color that can increase heart rate and blood pressure, making us feel more alert and energized. Wearing red clothing can also make us appear more confident and attractive. On the other hand, too much red can also lead to feelings of anger or aggression.

Blue is known for its calming effect on the mind and body. It is often associated with trust, stability, and intelligence. Studies have shown that wearing blue clothing can lower blood pressure and heart rate while promoting relaxation. This makes it an ideal color to wear during stressful situations or when you need to remain focused. FYI, overall blue is America’s favorite color.

Yellow is a bright and cheerful color that symbolizes happiness, optimism, and creativity. It has been found to stimulate mental activity and boost energy levels. Wearing yellow clothing can help improve your mood on days when you are feeling down or unmotivated.

Green represents nature, growth, balance, and harmony. It has a calming effect on the eyes as it reflects most light wavelengths evenly. Wearing green clothing can promote feelings of tranquility while reducing anxiety levels.

Impact of Clothing Patterns

A study by George K Stylios, Meixuan Chen  indicated that patterns on clothing also affect the mood and behavior of the wearer and the observer. In particular, repeating patterns increase theta brain waves, indicating people take more pleasure in these compared to non-repeating ones. People were also more excited by strong, intense patterns than weak or subtle ones.

from IceWear

So, if you want to attract attention, opt for an intense, repeating pattern. If you’re going for a calming but pleasant effect, wear something with a subtly repeating pattern. Clothing without any patterns tends to have less effect on the brain of the observer, which may be helpful for someone who wishes to be unobtrusive. Wearing an intense, non-repeating pattern will have a very strong, edgy effect.

Values and Beliefs

Values and beliefs can be revealed by clothing. A t-shirt or hat with a slogan will make an immediate statement about the wearer’s beliefs, but other signs may not be as obvious. For example, someone who wears clothing made from sustainable, eco-friendly materials might signal their commitment to environmental causes, while someone who chooses to wear clothing from a particular cultural tradition might be expressing their connection to that culture. In this way, the clothes we wear can serve as a visual representation of our beliefs and values.

Identity Reinforcement

We often choose clothing that reinforces our existing self-concept. If you see yourself as a creative individual, you might gravitate toward unique and artistic fashion choices. On the other hand, if you identify as a professional, your wardrobe may consist of business attire that reflects your dedication to your career.

Social Identity

We tend to dress in ways that align with the social groups we belong to or aspire to be part of. Subcultures, such as punk, goth, or hip-hop, often have distinct fashion styles associated with them. By adopting clothing related to a particular subculture, individuals signal their membership and allegiance to that group. It’s a way of saying, “I belong here.”

None of This is Infallible

It is important to recognize that clothing choice cannot definitively reveal a person’s personality. All of the points covered in this blog are based on group data, and individuals vary a great deal. So, while clothing can provide some clues, it cannot accurately define a person’s personality. Remember that quite a lot of personal fashion is determined by elements outside the wearer’s control!

Bottom Line: Clothing is more than just a practical necessity. Understanding the psychology behind our clothing choices can lead to greater self-awareness and a more intentional approach to the messages we convey through our attire. So the next time you stand in front of your closet, remember that your clothing choices are more than just fabric and threads; they reflect who you are and who you aspire to be.

OCTOBER IS FOR HORROR: VAMPIRES

Posted on by vlaw759
The anthropomorphic personification of EVIL!

A friend recently told me that the horror villains we fear are subconscious stand-ins for things we’re afraid of in real life.  Vampires stand for a fear of change; zombies for a fear of crowds or strangers. 

Fear of clowns is a sign you’re a normal, well-adjusted, perfectly rational person.

Inquiring minds want to know!  I started with vampires—and I never got past vampires!

Why Everyone Fears Vampires

Adze, a soul-sucking creature from Ewe folklore in Togo and Ghana

When I went online to learn what it means if we fear vampires, what popped up was an article by Ralph Blumenthal, “A Fear of Vampires Can Mask a Fear of Something Much Worse.”  He was writing in 2002 about villagers in Malawi believing that the government was colluding with vampires to collect human blood in exchange for food.

At the time, Malawi was in the grip of starvation, a severe AIDS epidemic, and political upheaval.  He cited Nina Auerbach, author of Our Vampires, Ourselves, to the effect that stories of the undead embody power ”and our fears of power.”

David J. Skal, author of The Monster Show: A Cultural History of Horror claims that a fixation on demons often accompanies periods of national stress.  “In times of social upheaval, the vampire asserts itself.”

In nearly every culture in the world, there is a legend of some variation of vampire-like creatures—the dead who reanimate and come back to feed on the living.  And there is general agreement that the roots of vampire legends are in the misunderstanding of how bodies decompose and of how certain diseases spread.

The Chinese Jiangshi hunts by “hopping” because of rigor mortis.
I’m glad someone else gets paid to take these photos.

In an October 26, 2016 article in National Geographic titled “The Bloody Truth About Vampires,” Becky Little wrote, “As a corpse’s skin shrinks, its teeth and fingernails can appear to have grown longer.  And as internal organs break down, a dark ‘purge fluid’ can leak out of the nose and mouth.  People unfamiliar with this process would interpret this fluid to be blood and suspect that the corpse had been drinking it from the living.”

Paul Barber, author of Vampires, Burial, and Death: Folklore and Reality, made several telling points in the introduction to his book.  One is that there is little similarity between the vampires of folklore and the vampires of fiction.

The Modern Vampire

Modern images of vampires are pretty stereotyped: fangs that bite the necks of victims; drinking human blood; can’t see themselves in mirrors; can be warded off with garlic, killed with a stake (or silver nail) through the heart; are aristocrats who live in castles and may be sexy.  This image was popularized by Bela Lugosi’s portrayal of Count Dracula in the 1931 film adaptation of the Broadway show of the same name.  Unlike Bram Stoker’s description of the monster in the 1897 novel Dracula as a repulsive old man with huge eyebrows and bat-like ears, Lugosi showed audiences a mysteriously elegant gentleman in evening dress.

The 1922 film Nosferatu (on left), though an unlicensed adaptation, portrayed the vampire as described in Stoker’s novel.
Polish strzyga

In European folklore, vampires typically wore shrouds, and were often described as bloated, with a ruddy or dark countenance.  Specific descriptions varied among regions: sometimes male, sometimes female, might have long fingernails, a stubby beard, the mouth and left eye open, a permanently hateful stare, red eyes, no eyes, etc.  Fangs were not always a prominent feature, and blood was generally sucked from bites on the chest near the heart rather than the throat.

A manananggal from the Philippines will send its detached head and torso to hunt.

But perhaps the most important theme of Barber’s book is that, lacking a scientific background in physiology, pathology, or immunization, the common response of ancient societies was to blame death and disease on the dead.  To that end, the interpretations they came up with—while wrong from today’s perspective—nevertheless were usually coherent, covered all the data, and provided the rationale for some common practices that seemed to be otherwise inexplicable.

He’s the color of a rotting corpse, but cloth fangs are pretty harmless.

Should you ever be pursued by a vampire, fling a handful of rice, millet, or other small grain in its path.  The vampire will be compelled to stop to count every grain, giving you time to escape.  I found no information on how vampires came to be associated with arithmomania, but it endures: remember The Count von Count on Sesame Street?

At this point, I realize that getting into methods of identifying vampires, protecting against vampires, ways to destroy vampires, and cross-cultural variations on vampirism is way beyond the scope of this blog.  Instead, I refer you to books such as this:

Food for the Dead: On the Trail of New England’s Vampires by Michael J Bell

Dreams of Vampires

And should vampires show up in your dreams, according to DreamBible: the answers to all your dreams, pay attention.  Their appearance could mean many things.

The yara-ma-yha-who in Australia drains a victim of almost all blood before swallowing and regurgitating the body, which then becomes a copy of its killer.
  • Seeing a vampire in your dream symbolizes an aspect of your personality that is parasitic or selfishly feeds off others.
  • Alternatively, a vampire may reflect feelings about people you believe want to pull you down to their level or convert you to thinking negatively in a way similar to theirs.
  • To dream of being a vampire represents a selfish need to feed off others.
  • To dream of being bitten by a vampire represents feelings about other people using you or feeding off you and being unable to stop it.
  • Vampires may be a sign of dependence, problems with addiction, social pressure, or ambivalence.
  • A dream vampire might be telling you that you need to start being more independent and relying less on others’ resources or accomplishments.
  • To dream of killing vampires represents overcoming dependence on others.
  • Repeated dreams of vampires hovering over your shoulder and correcting your spelling or suggesting topics for research and expansion is almost certainly a sign that you are writing a blog entry about vampires.

Bottom line for writers:consider whether a vampire is a fit metaphor for your character.

The soucouyant appears in the Caribbean by day as a harmless old woman, but she sheds her skin at night to hunt as a ball of fire.