There's nothing like a bizarre health study to mole over on your lunch break.
Credit where credit's due, most of the health studies we come across are incredibly useful and hail the beginning of something great in the world of science and medicine.
Others are just downright strange. Here are a few of them:
Electric shock vs. loneliness
Researchers from University of Virginia suggest that people prefer experiencing painful electric shocks rather than being left alone in a room with their thoughts.
When left alone in a room with nothing to do but shock themselves, participants opted to do so with 12 out of 18 men giving themselves at least one electric shock and 6 out of 24 women doing the same.
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Bizarre dreams
Meanwhile, researchers on UK turf found that dreams get increasingly bizarre as the night goes on.
The sleep study involved waking up participants four times throughout the night. Scientists found that early stages of dreaming would involve material from a movie that had been watched recently or a book. But as the night progressed, dreams began to get more bizarre - with one person dreaming about a wild animal tearing up their back garden.
Following the study, researchers suggested that "dreams are a safe space to figure out personal issues and gain an insight into emotions".
The single gene
Genetics could be responsible for your lack of love life, according to researchers in Beijing.
A study suggested that carriers of the gene 5THA1 are 20% more likely to be single. This is because they are more susceptible to lowers levels of serotonin.
So, next time your mother asks when you're going to settle down and find 'the one' you have our permission to play the gene card.
Political attraction
Brown University researchers found that people are more likely to be attracted to the body odor of others with similar political beliefs.
Why? Because "parental similarity in values increases the likelihood that such individuals may be able to stay together long enough to raise their children successfully into adulthood".