Sellers are delaying listing their properties due to the uncertainty caused by the latest wave of COVID outbreaks and lockdowns, although buyers are still keen to snap up homes.
The latest REA Insights Housing Market Indicators Report shows conditions in Australia’s booming housing market remain strong, but realestate.com.au director of economic research Cameron Kusher said the lockdowns are hitting vendor confidence.
“Vendor confidence is clearly being damaged by lockdowns and not just in those areas where lockdowns are occurring but across most parts of the country,” he said.
“Selling a property becomes much more difficult during a lockdown and it is likely most vendors would prefer not to list under those conditions.”
The report showed the lockdowns affecting half of Australia’s population during July had a moderate impact in temporarily slowing the strong housing market over the month.
“The national housing market continues to see prices rise, strong demand, heightened search volumes, a fast rate of sale and high levels of enquiry,” Mr Kusher said.
“However, the return of lockdowns has had a moderate dampening effect on many of these metrics throughout July.”
Greater Sydney was in lockdown in July, while Victoria had a fifth lockdown lasting 12 days and South Australia a seven-day shutdown.
Mr Kusher noted the slowdown was also partly due to winter being a typically quieter period for the housing market, adding spring would be a key test.
“We’re now nearing the ‘selling season’, which will be a litmus test for the housing market, depending on how interrupted it is by ongoing lockdowns,” he said.
“Typically, demand and supply ramps up in spring and it will be interesting to see whether the market strength returns to levels seen earlier this year.”
South-east Queensland emerged from its snap lockdown on Sunday and regional Victoria came out of the state’s sixth lockdown on Monday.
But restrictions in Melbourne have been extended by another week until at least 19 August and the Sydney lockdown will run for all of August and likely through September.
Sales slow during lockdowns
Preliminary sales volumes on realestate.com.au fell by 7.6% last week to their lowest level in seven weeks as Australia’s three largest cities of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane experienced lockdowns.
Mr Kusher said while seasonal factors could be playing a part in the recent weakness in sales volumes, ongoing lockdowns will likely lead to a further weakening in sales.
“The coming months will be a test for the market’s resilience as even in those states not in lockdown, sales have slowed over recent weeks,” Mr Kusher said.
Preliminary sales volumes were now 23% lower than their peak earlier this year in April, the report noted.
Despite the recent declines, preliminary sales over the first 32 weeks of 2021 are still 53.3% higher than over the same period in 2020.
Homes are still selling quickly but not at record speeds.
The median number of days a property was advertised for sale on realestate.com.au before being sold moved to 39 days in July from 38 days in June, but was much lower than July 2020’s 61 days.
“For states with extended lockdowns, transacting on property remains difficult and will likely lead to increases in days on site,” Mr Kusher said.
“Elsewhere, the housing market continues to experience tight supply of stock for sale and strong demand, which should ensure days on site remain relatively low.”
With many sellers delaying putting their properties on the market during lockdown, the RBA’s latest Statement on Monetary Policy released on Friday noted the supply of properties newly listed for sale has declined over the past month.
Mr Kusher said the number of views per listing on realestate.com.au for properties available for sale increased by 4.9% in July, to be 46.1% higher year-on-year, as lockdowns reduced the supply of new stock for sale.
“New listing supply moderated due to lockdowns and with lockdowns extending into August, it is reasonable to expect a further tightening,” Mr Kusher said.
“Although search volumes have eased, they remain historically high, which in turn suggests that views per listing will remain at elevated levels over the coming months.”
Buyer demand remains high during lockdowns
Buyer demand has so far remained strong during the lockdowns.
“There’s really been little sustained impact on buyers throughout lockdowns,” Mr Kusher said.
The value of the Australian property market hit an astounding $8 trillion in March — and is now on track to reach its next trillion-dollar milestone by the end of this year.
Newly released CoreLogic data shows that total residential property values are likely to reach $9 trillion by the end of 2021, a result of skyrocketing house prices and the government-supported construction boom.
Sydney prices rose by 12%, or $140,000, over the 12 months to March, with median price reaching more than $1.3 million according to Domain.
This makes the residential property market worth more than Australian superannuation ($3.1 trillion), the Australian stock market ($2.8 trillion) and commercial real estate ($978 billion) combined, CoreLogic’s August research showed.
It’s data also found that more than half of household wealth is held in housing, with $1.9 trillion in outstanding mortgage debt.
Eliza Owen, head of research at CoreLogic said low interest rates in response to the pandemic continued to result in “some extraordinary figures in the housing market.”
CoreLogic recorded nearly 600,000 sales of residential property over the year, the highest levels seen since 2008.
“We’ve got more than half of household wealth made up of housing value,” Owen said, adding that outstanding debt levels are now sitting at about $1.9 trillion.
Trends that caused the explosion in property prices beginning in December last year, including low mortgage rates, cheap debt and household savings due to lockdowns are unlikely to change in the last months of this year, Owen said.
The household savings rate rose to about 21% at its peak during 2020, compared with a decade average of about 7.5%.
While the property boom is ongoing, it is continuing at a slower, but steady pace.
In the three months to July, national home values rose 5.9%, down from a recent peak of 7.0% in the three months to May 2021, CoreLogic found.
Across Australian cities, Hobart led the way this past quarter, with property prices increasing 8.2%.
Sydney followed with dwelling values jumping 7.7% in the same period.
Surging prices continued to be driven not just by historically low mortgage rates, but also a market where buyers still vastly outnumber available properties.
In July, the total number of homes listed was 27.1% below the five-year national average, while sales volumes were 42.6% below the five-year average.
Owen said that as a result, the market remained firmly in favour of sellers. She expects to see first home buyer participation to decline, though it was still well above average levels.
First-home buyers also dropping off in every state due to affordability constraints and fewer incentives, the research showed, while investors have stepped in.
Investor participation rose in each state and territory over June, with the exception of Queensland, where investor lending was dwarfed by a 1.8% lift in owner-occupier lending.
“We do expect that first homebuyer participation will continue to decline, because not as many incentives are available to them now as they were through 2020,” Owen said.
“Prices are becoming more out of reach for a lot of those buyers.”
Supply was also contributing to elevated price levels, Owen said, “not necessarily in the construction of new homes, but in people actually putting their properties up for sale.”
Newly advertised stock is sitting at about 25% below where it has been historically. She said.
Homebuyers bid up property prices despite lacklustre outlook for wages growth
Despite a grim outlook on wages growth, homebuyers continue to bid up property prices.
This article from Domain.com.au looks at what’s going on.
Pessimism over the probability of wages rises in the future isn’t dimming hopeful property buyers’ willingness to pay top dollar for their dream homes, experts say.
Even though new research has found nearly 70 per cent of people are suffering a fall in pay, or no change, with the average total pay increase of 0.5 per cent over the past year falling to 0.4 per cent this month, they’re still carrying on buying up big.
The Melbourne Institute’s Consumer Inflationary and Wage Expectations report revealed that consumers were predicting weak wages growth in the short term and still expecting below-one-per-cent increases over the year.
Wages growth has been lacklustre for some time, but the jobs market faces extra pressure amid lockdowns.
Wages growth dipped during the lockdowns. Photo: ABS, Melbourne Institute, Macquarie Macro Strategy
“Wage-rise expectations are currently low, and have been low for quite a while,” said the institute’s research economist, Dr Sam Tsiaplias.
“Historically, we would expect to find a link between house prices and income but, with the presence now of really low interest rates, that link has become much weaker.
“And as long as interest rates remain low, we won’t need high wages growth to sustain house price appreciation.
But when mortgage repayments increase, and they’re harder to pay, then that’s when we’ll see wages become much more important.”
Coupled with those interest rates which have made servicing home loans affordable despite the lack of wages growth is that other huge property driver: the fear of missing out (FOMO).
Brisbane’s Olympic property boom set to push these suburb prices sky high
Will Brisbane’s Olympic property boom property prices sky-high?
This article from Domain.com.au looks at what’s going on.
House prices in key inner Brisbane suburbs are tipped to more than double in the decade leading up to the 2032 Olympics as economists predict an imminent golden age of property for the Queensland capital.
The city’s thriving inner east – including Woolloongabba and Dutton Park – and Albion, Paddington, Hamilton, and Kelvin Grove are some of the hot spots expected to boom off the back of major infrastructure spending ahead of the games, with Greater Brisbane set to soar past the million-dollar median house price mark soon, experts say.
New data from PRD revealed Brisbane’s median house price could collectively rise to $1.2 million by 2032, with Hamilton – which will accommodate the athlete’s village – predicted to leap from its $1.65 million house price average to just under $4 million after the Olympics.
Tennyson, which currently boasts a median house price of just under $1 million, could rise to just over $2 million and Woolloongabba – where many Olympic events will be held at the Gabba – could also soar from its current median of $1.086 million to just over $2 million, the PRD report said.
Greater Brisbane suburbs Olympics analysis for houses
Source: PRD Research. #2021 encapsulates sales between 01/01/2021 and 30/06/2021
Seahorses tend to be monogamous, and will intertwine their tails to stick together while floating through the ocean. Is it because they’re cute and loving, or is it just an evolutionary aspect of their species? The truth is, seahorses are pretty bad swimmers, and spend a lot of time hiding from predators. Finding a mate for life boosts their chances of successful reproduction.
2. Cuddling Heals Wounds and Fights Depression
Cuddling releases oxytocin, which you may know as the happiness-boosting, stress-busting hormone. But recent research indicates that the stuff can do a lot more. One study in Neuroscience & Behavioral Reviews showed that the oxytocin released from a quick snuggle session can significantly cut back on feelings of depression. And another study in PLoS One showed that oxytocin can even have a physical effect on your body, by helping to speed up wound healing.
3. Male Puppies Let Female Puppies Win Play Fights
Chivalry isn’t dead, at least not in the canine world. Male puppies will pretend to be more vulnerable and allow female puppies to win in an effort to keep the game going longer, so they can get closer to the female. And yes, same-sex play has been studied: when female puppies play with only female puppies, or male puppies play with only male puppies, everyone plays to win. It’s only in male-female “fights” that a pup purposefully throws the match.
4. Neuroscientists Say Love Is as Strong as Illegal Drugs
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When you fall in love, the same part of your brain is simulated as when you take mind-altering substances like oxycodone and cocaine. Your serotonin levels increase, raising confidence; your dopamine levels increase, enhancing pleasure; and your norepinephrine levels increase, boosting energy.
But the real change that makes you feel like “love is a drug” happens in the reward circuit: the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex. The reward circuit controls “risk versus reward” behavior. Basically, when you fall in love—or take mind-altering substances—the receptors in the “reward” part of your brain fire on overdrive.
5. Night Rainbows Are Real. They’re Called “Moonbows”
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Night rainbows happen just like regular rainbows do: by the moon shining bright light when there are showers or storms at night. They’re less visible than daytime rainbows, but we imagine that a rainbow in the night sky would catch anyone’s eye, even if it’s a little darker.
So-called “moonbows” can only be seen when the moon is very full (or near full), and no other light source is around. The sky must be relatively clear, with just a mist in the air. They’re rare, but there are a few places—mostly waterfalls, which tend to be misty—that have documented regular occurrences, like Skógafoss, in Iceland, or Victoria Falls (pictured), in Zambia.
6. Times Square NYE Confetti is Literally Made of Dreams and Wishes
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Every year, toward the end of the year, the Times Square Visitor Center puts up a “Wishing Wall” where people write their hopes, wishes, and dreams for the New Year on post-its and stick them on the wall. When it’s time for the ball to drop and confetti to fly, these post-its are included in the confetti that showers the city. And if you can’t make it to New York, but still want your wishes to soar, you can submit them online by the December 28th print deadline every year.
7. Your Heartbeat Syncs Up With Your Partner’s
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Research out of UC Davis has shown that when you look into a loved one’s eyes—specifically, a romantic partner—your heartbeat and breathing will sync up. It’s called interpersonal synchronization, and it also accounts for that whole “We finish each other’s…” “…sentences” thing: your brainwaves and thought patterns start to link up, too.
8. Penguins Propose and Stick Together for Life
Male penguins will search for the smoothest, shiniest pebble to court a female penguin. If she accepts, she’ll use it as the first stone that builds the nest in preparation for the eggs that will lay in it. Some male penguins will even steal pebbles from other males if they have trouble finding their own. Talk about commitment
9. Forcing a Smile Actually Makes You Happier
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Even if you’re down in the dumps, putting a smile on—even if you don’t feel like it—can literally trick your brain into thinking there’s something to smile about, which then will improve your mood. There’s even a study done that used Botox injections to literally keep people’s muscles from being able to frown, and they were markedly happier than the control group that did not have the injections! Smiling doesn’t just improve your mood, it also improves your heart rate, immune system, and general wellbeing. So go ahead: fake it ’til you make it, even on the worst days.
10. Cars Are Now Designed to Keep Dogs Safe on Hot Days
Tesla owners can now leave their dog in the car, locked, with the AC running, and a message will display on the large touchscreen saying “my owner will be back soon,” and features the temperature within the vehicle, to let all passerby know that your furry friend is safe (and not judge you…). This is especially important given the 11 states (a number which is certain to only grow) that have now passed Good Samaritan Laws to protect dogs in hot cars.
11. Sunshine and Warmth Make You Friendlier
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According to a study in Nature Human Behavior, people who have grown up in warmer climates tend to be friendlier than those who have had to deal with cold, harsh weather since day one. And the more people get outside in the sun at a young age, the happier and nicer they were throughout the rest of their lives. The researchers even concluded the “perfect” living temperature for maximum happiness and friendliness: 73 degrees Fahrenheit.
12. Baby Sloths Are Addicted to Cuddling
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We’ve all seen that viral video of Kristen Bell devolving into waterworks over how insanely cute sloths are. (And if you haven’t seen it, do yourself a favor and give it a watch.) Sure, sloths indeed look cute—but their behavior takes that cuteness to a new level: sloths literally can’t get enough cuddles.
If a baby sloth is detached from its mother, it’ll squeal until the two are reunited. If a sloth is in captivity, it’ll do the same thing if it doesn’t have something soft to cuddle. (Zoos generally use teddy bears.) And, as Der Spiegel reported, they’ll even go so far to refuse to eat until they get something to cuddle with.
13. More Dads Are Embracing the Role of Family Hairstylist
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Philippe Morgese became a single father when his daughter Emma was just one, without a clue of how to style her hair as it grew in. He struggled tremendously, and realized after finally mastering the styling that there were definitely plenty of other dads in his position, so he created the “Dads and Daughters” hair workshop at a local beauty school. It became a hit, and since then, he has started his Daddy Daughter Hair Factory Community: completely free nationwide workshops and tutorials for dads just like him.
14. There’s a Valentine’s Day for Single People in South Korea
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South Korea clearly believes in romantic equality: Where most of us only celebrate the regular Valentine’s Day on February 14th, where men societally cater to women, South Korea also has White Day a month later. On March 14th: women give chocolates and romantic gifts to men. Then, there’s Black Day on April 14th, where singles rejoice in their singledom, most often celebrated by wearing black and eating a special noodle dish called jajangmyeon.
15. A Group of Bunnies Is Called a “Fluffle”
A group of bunnies is called a fluffle; baby bunnies are called kittens; and, when a rabbit jumps and squirms in the air, that move is called a binky. That means, at kaninhoppning events—a popular competition in Sweden about rabbit jumping—you could find a fluffle of bunnies and kittens working on their binky skills. Have you ever heard a more aww-worthy sentence?
16. Sundaes Really Are Named After Sundays
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Yes, sundaes did actually get their name from the best day of the week. In the 1890s, a few states passed laws prohibiting the sale or consumption of ice cream sodas on Sundays: it was considered immoral and improper for religious reasons. But ice cream lovers found a loophole: simply serve ice cream with toppings.
The dessert came to be known as the Sunday and, eventually, the sundae.
17. The Netherlands Gifts 20,000 Tulips to Canada Every Year
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The Netherlands send flowers to Canada because the royal Dutch family fled to Canada during World War II, and Princes Juliana was pregnant at the time with soon-to-be Princess Margriet.
The thing is, if Margriet wasn’t born on Dutch soil, she couldn’t be considered Dutch royalty, so, the Canadian government literally declared the Ottawa Hospital to extraterritorially be considered Dutch land.
When World War II was over and the family returned to the Netherlands, Princess Juliana was forever grateful for Canada’s hospitality, sending 100,000 tulips to them to thank them—a tradition that is still carried out (though with 20,000 flowers, not 100,000) today.
18. One Person Laid the Seeds for an Entire Forest
Sebastião Salgado grew up in Minas Gerais, Brazil—a place full of beautiful rainforests. He left home to become a photographer, only to return to his hometown, in 2000, to discover that only 0.5% of forest remained. Salgado founded Instituto Terra in 1998, planting more than 2 million seedlings of more than 290 species of trees and plants. In 20 years, 1,500 acres of rainforest have been recovered, and 293 species of plants, 15 reptile species, 172 bird species, 15 amphibian species, and 33 mammal species have returned. Don’t let anyone tell you one person can’t change the world.
19. Cows Have Best Friends
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Cows have dedicated friends that they spend day in and day out with, and they get stressed when they are separated; once reunited with their bestie, their heart rates significantly drop (back to normal levels). These findings could greatly benefit the dairy industry, as it’s also been proven that happier cows really do make more—and more nutritious—milk.
20. The Actors Who Played Minnie and Mickey Actually Fell in Love and Got Married
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Talk about soul mates! Wayne Allwine started as a mail clerk in Disney Studios and worked his way up to be Mickey’s voice in production in 1977. In 1986, Russi Taylor joined Disney Studios as Minnie’s voice, and at the time, Allwine and Taylor were both (unhappily) married. They met in passing in the halls, and slowly became great friends… and eventually left behind their previous marriages to live happily ever after, with each other.
21. Puffins Mate for Life and Build Homes Together
These birds spend about half of their time out at sea each year, but when they return, they make their homes on cliff sides in burrows, where they build a nest for offspring. They even make a separate little space for bathroom use. The male and female will join and mate for life, and only one egg is born at a time—after which, both mom and dad will take turns incubating the egg for a period of about 40 days. Once born, mom and dad take turns brining it food throughout the day. (Even cuter? A baby puffin is called a puffling.)
22. Your Dog Dreams About You
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Harvard psychologists have suggested that, when dogs dream, they dream about their owners, because their REM cycles and brain patterns are similar ours. (Meanwhile, cats probably dream about hunting prey, based on one sleep study observation where a scientist “turned off” a part of the cat’s brain that restricts movement during REM sleep. When they were dreaming and movement was not restricted, they’d get up, arch their backs, hiss, and pounce).
23. Pizza Actually Makes for a Nutritious Breakfast
Pizza is literally better for you than most breakfast cereals, so go ahead and eat that slice leftover from dinner for breakfast. When we eat cereal, we tend to eat at least double the recommended portion size—and that’s if you don’t go for seconds. Standard breakfast cereals contain about 18 grams of sugar and little to no protein, while pizza has minimal sugar, protein (via the cheese), and carbs that sustain you for hours. Of course, you can choose low-sugar cereals topped with fruit and skim (or non-dairy) milk, which will be significantly healthier than pizza, but, hey, one step at a time, right?
24. Mr. Rogers Once Changed His Show’s Format to Accommodate One Young Blind Girl
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He really was the best neighbor. Mr. Rogers began announcing that he was feeding the fish in every show because a father and his blind daughter would always tune into the show, and they wrote to him to explain that she would get very concerned that the fish were not fed on the days that he didn’t announce it.
25. One Italian Town Hands Out Wine Like It’s Water
Fountain of Youth? How about Fountain of Fine Wine! Ortona, Abruzzo, an Italian town just south of Rome, has been a wine-making town since 500 B.C.E. Recently, the town installed a fountain that dispenses red wine any time of day, for the whopping price of…. $0.00. Spain has one too at the Bodegas Irache, located in Navarre at the foot of Mount Montejurra. Sadly, unlike their Italian neighbor, it’s only open from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
26. Sea Otters Hold Hands So They Don’t Drift Apart
Sea otters sleep on their backs floating with the water but will hold hands so they don’t drift apart, according to The Telegraph. They’re not just cute, they’re also resourceful: they will take stringy kelp attached to the sea floor and wrap it around themselves, using it as an anchor to keep them from drifting. Also, they’re incredibly playful: otters like to juggle pebbles, and can even do it with their eyes closed.
27. Cats Try to Serve You Dinner
If you’re the owner of an outdoor cat, there’s a good chance you’ve come home to find a “treat.” Among cat owners, a “treat” isn’t so much a treat as it is something foul—a small mammal, freshly executed, laying bloody on the doorstep. There are plenty of theories as to why cats love to commit rampant murder, but one prominent one is kinda sweet: Kitty is just trying to feed you.
Despite millennia of domestication, cats are still natural hunters—according to one analysis, they eliminate a human population’s worth of small bird and mammals annually—and find it tough to quell that instinct. But parent cats (generally mothers, which is why this behavior is more common with female house cats) also instinctually bring home food to newborn offspring, to teach them how to eat. So, when your kitty leaves you a “treat,” know that she’s not trying to gross you out. She just wants you to eat your dinner, dear.
28. The Football Huddle Was Invented to Help Deaf Players Communicate
The football huddle was started in 1890 at a deaf university where the players needed to be able to sign plays to each other (in American Sign Language) without the other team being able to see what was going on. From then, it caught on across teams because it provided a close-knit space where the players could speak quietly and account for all present, bolstering team spirit.
29. There’s a Plant That Grows to Look Like a Bunny
There’s a plant that grows in the shape of tiny bunnies making peace signs. The Monilaria obconica (also aptly nicknamed the bunny succulent) is a flowering succulent that grows to resemble a little rabbit that looks like it’s making peace signs, as if it’s posing for a MySpace photo. They’re easy to care for and nearly impossible to kill, making them the perfect plant for your home or office.
30. Worms Communicate Using a Cuddle Language
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Scientists call them herds, but it’s cuter to think of them giant cuddle puddles, akin to the buddy system used for safety. Earthworms use touch to communicate and determine where they want to go.
As reported by the BBC, one study has shown that two earthworms placed in a dirt maze apart (one first, then the other) will not take similar paths, proving that earthworms don’t leave behind any kind of chemical trail. But, when the same two earthworms were placed in the dirt maze at the same time, they literally clung together and wiggled their way to the same path.
31. Some Owls and Snakes Live Together in Harmony
According to the Audubon Society, owls—specifically, eastern screech owls—will keep thread snakes around as pets. But it’s not exactly like the relationship you or I would have with a cat or dog. Instead, it’s a bit more mutual in nature. Thread snakes—which can’t see, and therefore aren’t entirely aware they’re living in a predator’s den—will eat any insects that wade into an owl’s nest. In turn, owls get bug-free nests, which promotes healthy growth for owl chicks. Setting aside genetically-entrenched strife for mutual benefit? Small wonder owls are associated with wisdom…
32. Robots Have Increased the Size of the Great Barrier Reef by 50 Percent
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Two research universities in Australia have dispatched underwater robots that have been able to deliver baby coral to the Great Barrier Reef, which, in just the last two years, has decreased in size by a whopping 50 percent due to climate change. The Robot’s name is Larvalbot, and it scans the reef, sensing dead sections where it drops microscopic baby coral that has been proven to withstand harsh conditions that climate change has brought about.
33. Humans Are Born With the Knowledge That Sharing Really Is Caring
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Helping other people is part of human nature, and the purity of children proves it. If you drop something in front of a child and pretend you can’t get it, the child will almost always pick it up for you, for instance. But sharing is also a major part of it.
In one experiment, researchers placed children in a room with two food trays. Once the lids were lifted, one was revealed to have a sandwich on it—and the other was totally empty. Every single time the experiment was repeated, the child who ended up with the sandwich decided to share it.
34. Science Says Your Dog Really Loves You
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Research has proven that, like humans, the brains of dogs release the “happy” neurotransmitter oxytocin when they encounter loved ones and anyone that they consider to be a friend. Studies have compared this same event between wolves and humans, only to prove that the wolves don’t have the same oxytocin effect—supporting the claim that dogs really are man’s best friend.
35. 3D Printing is Now Allowing Blind People to “See” Famous Art
Finnish designer Marc Dillion wants the blind to be able to “see” Mona Lisa’s smile, experience Van Gogh’s sunflowers, and enjoy incredible historic art just as much as the sighted, so he turned his mastery of 3D printing to the Unseen Art project, which creates 3D models of the art that can be displayed directly next to the original piece at museums.
36. Human IQ is Continually Rising
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The average American IQ gain is about 3 points every 10 years, or about 9 points every generation. Worldwide, average human intelligence has increased 20 points in the last 70 years. (This is called the Flynn Effect, named after the psychologist who first observed the phenomena). Better and easier access to resources and improved living conditions in developing countries have no doubt contributed to widespread education, which has allowed us to become smarter on the whole.
37. Doctors Use Superhero Masks to Help Kids Undergoing Radiotherapy
Lobske Marsken, a play specialist in the children’s unit of the St James University Hospital in the United Kingdom, recognized how downright terrifying radiation masks—mummified-looking monstrosities that strap to a radiotherapy bed—are to children. Plus, they make many kids feel claustrophobic and uneasy. So Marsken came up with an idea: paint the masks to look like those of superheroes. As a result, children took to wearing them, when they were able to choose who they wanted to be.
38. A Husband Once Covered His Entire Property with Flowers So His Blind Wife Could Smell Them
The Kurokis have been married over 30 years, running a dairy farm. Toshiyuki discovered the shibazakura flower, a bright fuchsia flower with a wonderful smell. He wanted to explain and show this beautiful blossom to his wife Yasuko, but she had no sight, so he decided to plant the blossoms across the entire farm.
The wonderful smells drew Yasuko out of her sickness-induced recluse, and literally brightened her world. When they bloom, the entire place is covered in a bright fuchsia blanket of these blossoms, which tourists now flock to see (along with the Kurokis who still walk the grounds of their garden of love).
39. All of the People In Your Dreams Are Real People
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When you see faces in your dreams, your brain isn’t making them up. They’re faces you’ve already seen before, whether it was a fleeting second at a grocery store or a person you spend every day of your life with. You’ve seen countless faces throughout your life, so it’s no wonder that you often think such dream people are random. But think of it this way: countless people have seen your face as well, and are “randomly” dreaming about you, too!
40. A Baby in the Womb Helps Heal the Mother
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We know that nutrients and blood are shared from mother to baby, but it’s not a one-way street. If and when a mother experiences organ stress or other inner body injuries, fetal stem cells are sent to the sites for repair. What’s more, fetal stem cells have proven to remain in the mother years after birth, and, as reported by USA Today, the scientific community is starting to think such cells are helpful in the case of stressors later in life such as stroke and heart attacks later in life.
Source: PRD Research. #2021 encapsulates sales between 01/01/2021 and 30/06/2021
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