pinkpigeonpink

[pinkpigeonpink]

get to know me! (gtkm 1)

favourite music artist?

TATE MCRAE!!!! i absolutely love her!!! so stoked for her upcoming album release <3

2. what's a piece of advice i live by?

hmm i'd have to say the quote "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"! idk i grew up with people constantly telling me that and it kinda ingrained itself into my brain and subsequent actions!

3. favourite food?

wow that 2nd question was deep. anyways!! my favourite food is crab MMMMMMM i love good ol' crab legs yum!

[pinkpigeonpink]

yaaaaawwwwwwnnnn

what is yawning?

yawning is an involuntary sequence of mouth opening, deep inhalation, and slow exhalation

when a yawn is felt, it cannot be totally suppressed! therefore, it has been defined somewhat as a reflex

did you know?

the average adult yawns 20 times per day!

why do we yawn? some theories:

this theory suggests that when humans feel tired, we stop taking deep breaths, which might cause a build-up of carbon dioxide in the body

another theory states that excess carbon dioxide and other chemical changes sends out signals in your brain that triggers a yawn. by yawning, we contort the facial muscles which drives oxygen-rich blood upwards -- to the brain

and yet another theory maintains that yawning functions to cool down the brain. this is because the brain functions best at an optimal temperature. a body of research supports this theory; this research shows that yawning has been beneficial in bringing down higher temperatures in the brain!

do all animals yawn?

it seems that many other mammals (alongside birds and reptiles) do, indeed, yawn!

this is because yawning is a reflex that originates in the brain stem which is pretty much central to other animals

animals with bigger brains tend to yawn longer

did this post make you yawn?

the likelihood of yawning increases sixfold after seeing someone else yawn

yawning could be contagious due to a phenomenon called social mirroring -- which entails imitating the actions of others (some behaviours include scratching, leg crossing, and laughing)

social bonds, too, may be reinforced by yawning and other forms of imitative behaviour

it seems that contagious yawning may be a social communication tool specific to higher-order animals

yawning may have evolved to increase vigilance within a group (a fairly popular theory). when one yawns, it is usually associated with that individual being tired or lacking in vigilance. this, in turn, makes an observer increase their own vigilance to make up for the low vigilance of the yawner!

Carey, T. (2018a, July 17). Why are yawns contagious? we asked a scientist. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-are-yawns-contagious-we-asked-a-scientist

Carey, T. (2018b, July 17). Why are yawns contagious? we asked a scientist. PBS. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/why-are-yawns-contagious-we-asked-a-scientist

McCallum, K. (2021, February 21). Why do we yawn & are yawns really contagious?. Why Do We Yawn & Are Yawns Really Contagious? | Houston Methodist. https://www.houstonmethodist.org/blog/articles/2021/feb/why-do-we-yawn-and-are-yawns-really-contagious/

Norscia, I., Zanoli, A., Gamba, M., & Palagi, E. (2020, February 25). Auditory contagious yawning is highest between friends and family members: Support to the emotional bias hypothesis. Frontiers. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.00442/full

[pinkpigeonpink]

without trust, there is nothing.

im a firm believer that trust is the foundation in everything we do.

crossing the road? we trust that cars will stop at the red light.

eating lunch? we trust that the cook is not attempting to harm us.

we think of ourselves as a wary society. but i like to argue that we put our trust in humanity and society more than we think!

[pinkpigeonpink]

mmm care for some soapy cilantro?

what exactly is cilantro?

sometimes referred to as Chinese parsley or coriander leaf, cilantro is an herb from the Coriandrum sativum plant

has several uses such as in cooking and medical purposes (being used as such for centuries now)

the plant has been proven to possess multiple pain-relieving properties! alongside other medicinal usages

also used to cook foods like salsas, soups, guacamole, and chutney

history and it's origins:

the coriander plant is native to the eastern mediterranean, and European cooks used both it's seeds and leaves in the past (even in the medieval times!)

but... are you one of the soapy gene cilantro tasters that find cilantro to be, well, soapy?

what about cilantro makes it soapy? turns out there's more to it than just simple genetics!

people who find cilantro to possess a soapy, mildly detergent-like, flavour have a mutated olfactory-receptor gene

this olfactory-receptor gene is called OR6A2 and is responsible for absorbing the odour of aldehyde chemicals found in coriander!

aldehydes are organic compounds that typically have pleasant odours

however, mutations of the OR6A2 genes can alter your sensitivity to cilantro's aldehydes and your overall perception of its flavour

this genetic mutation is usually rather rare. although, it does vary throughout geographic regions!

geographic variations?

places such as Central America and India, unsurprisingly, have fewer people with these mutated genes; this might explain how the herb has become such a popular ingredient in these regions

East Asians have the highest incidence of this mutation, with some studies showing that nearly 20% of the population experiences soapy cilantro flavours!

somewhere between 4 - 14% of the US population find cilantro to be soapy

an older study actually examined the ethnocultural prevalence of cilantro distaste in 1,639 people! the study found the amount of people who dislike cilantro in each ethnocultural group varied across different groups. within each group, 21% of East Asians, 17% of Caucasians, 14% of Africans, 7% of South Asians, 4% of Hispanics, and 3% of the Middle Eastern group did not favour the flavour of cilantro

but fret not! if you've just discovered that you have this soapy gene, you have not much (i hope) to worry about as it seems this distaste for cilantro can be overcome if taken in small doses and via repeated exposure! (pro tip: crushing it and grinding it can help dispel the soapy flavours!)

fun fact: the word "coriander" is said to have etymology origins from the greek word for "bedbug" and that the cilantro smell has been "compared with the smell of bug-infested bedclothes" (sorry to ruin your appetite). there is also an "I Hate Cilantro" Facebook page with hundreds of fans and an I hate Cilantro blog!

Petruzzello, M. (2017, April 20). Why Does Cilantro Taste Like Soap to Some People?. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/story/why-does-cilantro-taste-like-soap-to-some-people

Mcgee, H. (2010, April 13). Cilantro haters, it’s not your fault. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2010/04/14/dining/14curious.html

Ballis, S. (2024, November 15). Why does cilantro taste like soap to some people?. EatingWell. https://www.eatingwell.com/article/8068382/why-cilantro-taste-like-soap/

Bourgeois, C. R. (2024, May 8). Yes, cilantro really does taste like soap to some people-here’s why. Health. https://www.health.com/why-cilantro-tastes-like-soap-8639357

[pinkpigeonpink]

welcome!

you can call me pigeon! so... some background info about me is that i absolutely love writing and doing research and honestly just learning about new things everyday!

i am not the best at writing so please do pardon some slip-ups at times. i like to write on a variety of topics but here are some topics that do catch my attention more than others:

mental health and psychology

fun facts

life facts

philosophy

i hope these topics pique your interest as much as they do for me! if they do, then do drop me a follow ♡

posts (general writing):

mmm care for some soapy cilantro?

without trust, there is nothing

yaaaaaawwwwwnnnn

get to know me:

gtkm 1

#pigeonyaps -> normal writing posts!

#gettoknowpigeon -> get to know mes (gtkm)

#pigeonanswers -> answering your asks