Smoking, Copper, Dieting and More of The Most Obvious and Surprising Studies this Week

The human brain is wired to feel empathy — like, a lot. To the degree that, when we hears a story from a person we care about, we can feel it as intently and vividly as if we were experiencing it.

Our brains also react to being under threat in the same panicked way it reacts to our friends being under threat. Researchers figured this out by wiring people's friends up to electric shocks, which in an interesting way to find out whether or not we're all dead inside.

Snail is pretty much a euphemism for "slow," but that didn't stop scientists in Exeter, England, from running experiments just to make sure they're not moving faster than we all suspected. (Oh, and also to check if they gave dogs ringworms, which is a little more pressing.)

The verdict is in: Snails travel at a pace of about a meter an hour. 450 snails were used for the study, which was probably very slightly more exciting than watching paint dry.

Science was of the opinion that copper is good for your brain, and protects it from disease. If you wondered, you ingest copper not by chewing on pipes, but by drinking tap water and eating red meat, shellfish, and some fruits and vegetables.

Now, it's looking like copper might break down the blood-brain barrier, increasing the risk of dementia, and causing a risky build-up of protein all the while. Scientists insisted that copper should still be an important part of our diet, which has left us concerned and confused and still thinking about copper wire.

In a study looking at which Web browsers crash most often, Internet Explorer was simply the worst.

Um. You know this already. Which is why you're reading this using Chrome or Firefox. SURPRISE!

Weird news of the week: new research suggests that if you have a larger brain, you're more likely to develop anorexia.

We're not making this up. Scientists examined the brains of girls who did and didn't have eating disorders, and discovered that parts of the brain that control taste and fullness were larger in those who suffered from anorexia. That doesn't make sense to us either, but we ain't scientists.

A Seattle research group spent a lot of time in both independent coffee stores and Starbucks chains, trying to figure out which had nicer baristas. Said "research" was presumably funded by someone who really, really likes to get a good start on the morning.

They were very surprised to discover that Starbucks servers were actually friendlier. We're going to go ahead and assume independent coffee stores aren't rolling in the sort of cash Starbucks does, don't get to make drinks in red cups at Christmastime (we're excited already,) and don't have a hipster reputation to protect.

Regardless of how much lovin' you're getting, your chances of picking up the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus are less if you're brushing and flossing properly.

No, your mom did not ask us to scare you into good dental health. If you have swollen gums, missing teeth, or other signs of poor dental hygiene, you're more likely to pick up the virus. (Which can cause cancer, as we all awkwardly found out from Michael Douglas. You'll have to give us a second to floss and double-check our dental insurance.)

Okay, this is a stereotype, but anyone who's watched their brothers and male friends effortlessly shed pounds and silently seethed will testify that, for men, it just looks easier.

Well, that's because it is. This study found that men tend to have more muscle mass, so their metabolism is quicker. Because their body needs more protein, they also tend to crave things like steak (another stereotype proving itself to be true) rather than sweet foods and snacks.

Apparently there is a secret to long life and happiness. It's volunteering.

Researchers found that people who do volunteer work regularly report higher levels of happiness and satisfaction, suffer from less depression, and live a fifth longer than those who don't volunteer. Harry Potter had everything wrong — there is an elixir of life, but it's just hanging out with little kids, abandoned dogs, and the elderly. But the findings do have a catch: it might be that cheerier, less stressed people are the ones who volunteer in the first place.