25 Extremely Interesting Facts About The Human Body That They Definitely Didn’t Teach You In Health Class

Recently, I came across two posts on the popular Ask Reddit page that turned out to be intriguing, strange, and, honestly, quite informative. In it, users Mindless_Reality_14 and alwaysclimbing5 asked, what are some lesser known facts about the human body that would surprise the average person? And I thought that if I don’t know all these, surely many other people don’t either! So, I decided to share. Here are some of the most interesting and best answers:

1. “Humans can be divided according to how their body reacts to exercise. Your intestines either move (poop from exercise) or close, and your stomach refuses to empty, and the effort can make you throw up.”

—in/vrosej10

2. “The bone that supports your eyeball, called the orbital floor, is paper thin and has a large hollow cavity, called the maxillary sinus, on the opposite side. When you are hit hard in the eye, instead of your own eyeball being cut, the bone under your eye is broken, which is called an orbital floor fracture. concrete wall, you can pop it, but if you try smash it against a styrofoam wall, the wall breaks, but the beachball is fine An amazing evolutionary adaptation to protect your eyesight.

—fl/ddsmd

3. “The reason that the navel and the area around it is an erogenous zone is because [they share] nerve pathways to the genitals.”

—and/SabrinaDelgado

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4. “The diver’s reflex. When your face is submerged in chilled water and you hold your breath, it causes your heart rate to decrease and blood supply to vital organs such as the heart and brain to increase. This is useful to help increase the amount of time you can hold your breath, but it is also useful to help manage PSVT (paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia) which is catheterized at a high rate of the heart

—u/UCantHearAnEnzyme

5. “Your mind is basically the main ‘sex organ’. Stress, insomnia, anxiety, [and] feeling unsafe or judged can tank arousal faster than anything physically “wrong” with you, which is why feeling relaxed and emotionally well makes such a huge difference.”

—u/RipBackground204

6. “Fallopian tubes are not attached to the ovaries; they have a small clasp at the end and can turn towards the ovary that is releasing an egg.”

“I had my tubes removed two years ago and I asked my doctor what happens during ovulation; apparently, my eggs are just kind of shot into my abdominal cavity and eventually reabsorbed by my body.”

—and/annekecaramin

7. “Natural redheads need increased doses of anesthesia, due to some connection with the mutated melanocortin-1 receptor. I am a natural redhead myself, and I developed a fear of dentists because I could always feel what they were doing! Eventually, I had an issue that could not be ignored, and I had to find a new one. ‘Yup.’ ‘(Hygienist), bring me 4x novocaine!’ I knew I had found my man, and he’s been treating me ever since… it also took away my fears, as dental work is much less unpleasant when you’re actually numb before they start.”

—u/LollyHutzenKlutz

8. “Message from your middle-aged aunt: In perimenopause and menopause, women produce less hormones such as estrogen/estradiol and testosterone. This can cause the labia minora to fuse with the labia majora and is considered vaginal atrophy. This can lead to an increase in UTIs or PH imbalances that can cause ‘yeast’ infections.”

“It also causes the mucous tissues around the body to shrink and dry out. This can lead to vaginal dryness/irritation/itching, fine lines on the skin, and bad breath, surprisingly. A lack of testosterone can also cause the clitoris to shrink, and in some women, disappear completely.

As many as 70-80% of menopausal women have vaginal atrophy. This can ALL be prevented or reversed with proper hormone management and replacement. It is best to start at the first signs of perimenopause, but vaginal tissues can be rejuvenated with proper hormone management even after menopause.”

—and/mariahmce

9. “You know the smell of rain, or disturbed soil? It’s a compound produced by bacteria called Geosmin, and the human nose is extremely sensitive to it. We can smell it at a concentration as low as 5 parts per trillion.”

—and/nonions

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10. “The testicles run on autopilot. The cremaster muscle constantly adjusts their height like a built-in thermostat — they rise when you’re cold, stressed, or about to sneeze (yes, that last one is real).”

—for predictions

—u/thecuriousdigest

—u/gianthooverpig

13. “Vaginal lubricant is mostly blood plasma.”

—u/Commercial-Yak-2964

“All body fluids are derived from blood, including breast milk.”

—u/Damn_Dog_Inappropriate

—and/Whoosier

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15. “Your heart rate increases about a minute before you engage in exercise. It’s known as the anticipatory increase and it happens involuntarily.”

—u/wizzkidjay

16. “A small percentage of people are ‘super sleepers’ and are fully recharged after 2 to 4 hours of sleep each night. They get to burn the candle at both ends!”

—and/lokensnarm

17. “There is zero proof of pheromones in humans despite all the talk around it.”

—u/atalantafugiens

18. “Apparently, yeast infections can be contagious.”

“As a dumb college kid, I wasn’t aware my gf had one (I choose to believe she didn’t know, either). We went to the ER because my dick wouldn’t stop peeling my skin, almost like a croissant or something. Simple meds and ointment did the trick, but FYI. 🫡”

—u/DruAL

“This is a good PSA. I too panicked over an unexpected case of french dick. The treatment, according to urgent care, was just OTC athletes foot cream.”

—u/AcuteMtnSalsa

19. “Orgasms burn calories (but not that much). Technically, you’re burning some energy, but don’t quit the gym just yet. Think a few jumping jacks, not a full workout.”

—u/Massive_Debt_6102

20. “Some people will cough if they put something in one ear, a very small percentage will cough if something is in each ear. It’s called Arnold’s ear cough reflex.”

—u/ArtEclectic

21. “Out of curiosity, I am [looked up] why men have a ‘head’ on their penis. It is because it acts exactly like the rubber tip on the plunger of a syringe. In the same way you can draw fluid with a syringe, during sex, the penis has the ability to release… semen into the vagina that was deposited by a different man, increasing the chances that his deposit will be the one that fills the woman.”

The CW

—u/One-Ball-78

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—and/Shadith

23. “Some people are born with extra ribs called cervical ribs that grow from the C7 vertebrae in the neck. It’s a strange and rare mutation that most people don’t even know they have, although it’s also a cause of thoracic outlet syndrome, which is where pressure is applied to the nerves, veins and arteries in the arms. If left untreated it can kill you if you’re really unlucky.”

—u/winterf19

24. “Some people sneeze as a reflex when triggered. It doesn’t happen every time but if it happens to you or you learn to identify it in your partner, then you will know. Achoo.”

—u/ViceNSpice

25. And finally: “Immune privilege of the eyes: Your immune system does not know that your eyes exist. There is a chance that if you have an eye injury or an infection near your eyes, the immune system will think that your eyes are a foreign body, and you will be blind.”

—u/kubrickfan

Is there any body related information you like to share with people to shock them? Let us know in the comments below.

Please note that some answers may have been edited for length/clarity.

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