Some people make few intentional changes in life. Sure, over time they may get fatter, gather lines, and go gray. But they wear their hair the same way, buy the same brand of shoes, eat the same breakfast, and stick to routines for no reason other than the ease of a comfortable, predictable life. Yet as both research and real life show, many others do make important changes. They train for marathons, quit smoking, switch fields, write plays, take up the guitar, or learn to tango even if they never danced before in their lives. What is the difference between these two groups of people? It's their perspective. People who change do not question whether change is possible or look for reasons they cannot change. They simply decide on a change they want and do what is necessary to accomplish it. Changing, which always stems from a firm decision, becomes job number one.

Any type of rejection hurts, often more than we expected it to. A scientific experiment suggests that our brains are made to feel this way. Test participants were asked to recall a recent rejection while lying in an MRI scanner. Surprisingly, activity was detected in the same part of the brain where physical pain is experienced. Evolutionary psychologists believe that this dates back to a time when humans lived in small, nomadic tribes. If they were kicked out of their group, these early humans faced an increased chance of death. Therefore, the brain developed feelings of rejection, which served as a kind of warning sign. When early humans felt the pain of rejection, they knew they had to change their behavior. This increased their chances of remaining with the tribe and surviving.

One common formation of migrating birds is the V-shape, which is most commonly used by geese. This pattern increases flight efficiency, allowing birds to expend less energy. This is essential for birds that fly long distances. One reason this formation helps them conserve energy is that each bird flies at a slightly different altitude. This difference allows each to benefit from the upwash of air from the wings of the bird in front of it. This reduces the amount of resistance that the bird experiences. Every bird that is behind another experiences this reduction, but the lead bird does not. Therefore, when it gets tired, it moves to the back, with another bird taking its place.

Use a plastic pen and rub it on your hair about ten times and then hold the pen close to small pieces of tissue paper or chalk dust. You will find that the bits of paper or chalk dust cling to the pen. What you have done there is to create a form of electricity called static electricity. This kind of electricity is produced by friction, and the pen becomes electrically charged. Static electricity is also found in the atmosphere. During a thunderstorm, clouds may become charged as they rub against each other. The lightning that we often see during a storm is caused by a large flow of electrical charges between charged clouds and the earth.

A product's brand has become so important to consumers these days that it has caused a change in the supply chain. Brands have moved into the dominant position rather than manufacturers. These brands explain to the manufacturers exactly what product they need. They also require them to make large quantities of the product in a short amount of time. If a manufacturer is unable to meet these demands, it will simply be replaced by another. Unfortunately, this relationship harms many factory workers. If a group of workers demands better working conditions and higher wages, the manufacturers move their factories to countries where costs are lower. The reason why manufacturers do this is that they fear they can't keep their contracts with powerful brands unless they cut costs. Therefore, they just underpay their workers and leave old facilities unrepaired.

Lake Hillier in Australia is a lake whose water looks solid pink from a distance. Come closer, and you will see that the lake is a milky pink. Scientists can explain the colors of nearby Pink Lake and Senegal's Lake Retba but not Lake Hillier's color. Some say it is because of salt. The other lakes have salty water, which hosts pink bacteria and algae. These turn the water pink. But these lakes change color according to the temperature, unlike Lake Hillier, which keeps its color all year. Even in a bottle, the water remains pink. Whatever the cause is, the color doesn't mean the lake is dangerous. But the lake is only accessible to researchers, so it is impossible for tourists to visit it.

One of the most essential decisions any of us can make is how we invest our time. Of course, how we invest time is not our decision alone to make. Many factors determine what we should do either because we are members of the human race, or because we belong to a certain culture and society. Nevertheless, there is room for personal choice, and control over time is to a certain extent in our hands. Even in the most oppressive decades of the Industrial Revolution, people didn't give up their free will when it came to time. During this period, people worked for more than eighty hours a week in factories. But there were some who spent their few precious free hours reading books or getting involved in politics instead of following the majority into the pubs.

The rivalry between two Spanish soccer teams, FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, is enjoyed by fans around the world. But their rivalry dates back further than you might think. It goes back to 1469, when many lands were united by Castilla to form the Spanish Empire. However, the fiercely independent people of Catalonia disliked the empire and longed for independence. These feelings led to a soccer match between FC Barcelona from Catalonia and FC Madrid from Castilla. Later, "Real," a title that means "royal," was given to FC Madrid, which made the Catalonians very angry. Today, the competition between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid continues, and each game is an overheated battle filled with emotion. It is about more than who wins or loses ─ it is a matter of regional pride.

The Luddites were laborers who worked in the English textile industry. They protested when labor-saving machinery began to be used during the Industrial Revolution. Fearful that they would lose their jobs to machines, they sent threatening letters to their employers. These letters were signed by "General Ludd," who was the imaginary leader of their movement. Their strategy failed, however. As a result, they started breaking into factories and destroying the new machines that had been installed. They destroyed hundreds of machines in just three weeks, and soon their movement spread. The British government reacted strongly to protect the factories. They made the crime of industrial sabotage punishable by death and arrested many of the Luddite leaders, which quickly ended the movement.