Behavior Memes

Scientists have discovered that sharing random facts is actually a neurochemical mating ritual. Nothing says "I'm intellectually compatible with you" like bombarding someone with obscure trivia about beetle reproduction or the melting point of tungsten. The "cool rock/button/leaf" phenomenon is particularly potent - evolutionary biologists suspect it's the modern equivalent of a magpie's nest decoration behavior, except instead of attracting mates with shiny objects, we're trying to impress them with our ability to recognize potentially interesting pebbles. Field studies confirm: relationships based on mutual infodumping have a 78% higher satisfaction rate than those founded on conventional attraction methods.

Ever wonder why evolution hasn't weeded out the Y chromosome yet? This UVA study shows nearly 70% of men would rather electrocute themselves than sit quietly with their thoughts for 15 minutes. Meanwhile, women clock in at a reasonable 25%. This is basically Darwin's natural selection playing out in real time. The male brain apparently interprets boredom as more threatening than physical pain. No wonder our insurance premiums are higher! Next study idea: measuring how many men would jump off a cliff if you told them there's no Wi-Fi at the bottom.