August 3, 2020

Ever wonder why humidity wreaks havoc on your hair?

Hair-raising humidity 

Your hair may have hard feelings about it, but humidity is about a lot more than just how good your hair looks on any given day. 

Humidity is the amount of water vapor in the atmosphere, and besides your hair, it affects both temperature and climate.  

You may have heard a meteorologist talk about the “relative humidity” during a weather report. Relative humidity represents the amount of water vapor in the air relative to what the air can hold. In general, the higher the relative humidity, the more likely you’ll see rain because the high percentage means the air is more saturated, or filled, with water vapor.  

High relative humidity also means we feel like it is much hotter than the actual temperature. That’s because humidity affects how quickly water evaporates, so sweat doesn’t work as well to cool your body in higher humidity.  

For more information and activities related to humidity, check out the North Carolina Climate Office. 

Lorem ipsum

Emotions are complicated. They’re so complicated that scientists still don’t even fully understand them! One thing that scientists do know, though, is that some of our biggest feelings are caused by a tiny part of the brain called the amygdala.

The amygdala is a bundle of important nerve cells deep inside the brain. Everyone has two amygdales—there’s one in each half of the brain. The amygdala works with the parts of the brain that control memory, behavior and emotion, and this tiny group of cells packs a big punch when it comes to emotions, especially stress and fear.

Most people don’t like to feel scared, but humans are fascinated by it! Think of all the spookiness in the month of October. The rush of energy and emotion people get by being scared can be enjoyable in controlled situations, like a scary movie or an amusement park ride.

No matter the source of the scare, the amygdala’s role is the same. The amygdala is like a bridge connecting two very different parts of the brain: the part that controls the body functions you aren’t aware of (like breathing) and the part that “thinks” for you.

This means that when your amygdala gets information that tells you something scary is happening, it can send signals that make your heart race and your breathing get faster, making you feel scared!