15 "Bad" Habits Science Says Are Good For You

Inside you, there are two wolves, and one of those wolves is an absolute mess. One of them wants to be a useful, clean, productive member of society, but the other wants to wallow in its own filth all day, playing video games and scratching its butt. It’s basically Freud, but with a zoological bent. We’re programmed to be tempted by our base urges, from poking at our own genitals to housing cheeseburgers like we live in a comic strip.

But what if we told you you should give in to some of those urges? Not the cheeseburger thing -- there’s a pretty straight line from there to the cardiovascular intensive care unit. But lying around in your unmade bed, scrolling through your social media feed of choice until it’s time to chug enough coffee to kill a lesser being so you can get shit done at the last possible minute? It turns out all of that can be good for you, so suck it, Mom.

15 F*ck ’Em

BAD HABITS that are good for you SLAVOR or AAaaa ii OO SWEARING is nature's opioids. People withstand pain better if they're allowed to call their torturer a motherf-er. It also creates a sense of trust and intimacy with other people. CRACKED — *Ollyy/Shutterstock*
CBC

14 A Beer a Day Keeps the Doctor Away

BAD HABITS that are good for you MODERATE DRINKING is good for you. For reasons no one quite understands, moderate alcohol consumption is linked with heart health and insulin sensitivity, so if you're already inclined to have a drink every now and then, feel free to get your wine mom on. CRACKED — *Look Studio/Shutterstock*
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

13 Honk-Shoo For Health

BAD HABITS that are good for you SLEEPING IN boosts your metabolism. The early bird may get the worm, but following your natural circadian rhythm is less slimy. It's still important to have a regular bedtime, but go ahead and dropkick that alarm clock on the weekends. CRACKED — *Olena Yakobchuk/Shutterstock*
SAGE Journals

12 Did You Hear?

BAD HABITS that are good for you GOSSIPPING forges social bonds. It's an ingrained behavior that we used to use to figure out which neighboring tribes weren't going to eat us, and still use to warn newbies about gropey bosses. CRACKED — *Kzenon/Shutterstock*
BBC

11 Good Grief

BAD HABITS that are good for you COMPLAINING helps us bond and process emotions. As long as you don't dwell on your feelings, it's actually worse to keep them inside, so open that emotional pressure valve and make like Queen Elsa. CRACKED — *fizkes/Shutterstock*
*The New York Times*

10 Sending Off Showers

BAD HABITS that are good for you SHOWERING too much can make you itchy or even sick. It messes with your skin's natural microbiome, so every once in a while, feel free to just take a baby wipe to your crevices and get back to Call of Duty. CRACKED — *UfaBizPhoto/Shutterstock*
*The Atlantic*

9 Bite Me

BAD HABITS that are good for you BITING YOUR NAILS is good for your immune system. Constantly shoving your germ pokers into your food hole makes you less likely to be bothered by allergies or get sick, for the same reason as rolling around in the dirt and all the other stuff boomers complain that we don't do anymore. CRACKED — *Arman Novic/Shutterstock*
Shape

8 Hot Mess

BAD HABITS that are good for you BEING MESSY increases creativity and efficiency. An untidy environment encourages unconventional thinking, and people with messy desks actually spent 36% less time looking for stuff. Finally, something to throw in the faces of those annoying neat freaks. CRACKED — *thodonal88/Shutterstock*
*The Globe and Mail*
CBS News

7 Follow the Yellow Brick Scroll

BAD HABITS that are good for you SOCIAL MEDIA makes you feel more connected to others. Routine social media use is associated with positive mental health outcomes. It only gets bad once you get obsessed. Like your genitals, it's all about how you use it. CRACKED — *13_Phunkod/Shutterstock*
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health

6 Chewed Out

BAD HABITS that are good for you CHEWING GUM enhances alertness and cognitive performance. Studies show that people work and learn better when they chew gum, which will definitely convince your mean teachers. CRACKED — *Dean Drobot/Shutterstock*
National Center for Biotechnology Information

5 Fidget Sinners

BAD HABITS that are good for you FIDGETING increases blood flow and relieves stress. It may be annoying for other people, but it's a natural and healthy response to being stuck in one position for too long, so just ask them if they want you to have a heart attack. CRACKED — *Jonathan Karwacki/Shutterstock*
*The New York Times*

4 Dream On

BAD HABITS that are good for you DAYDREAMING improves problem-solving. Forget what your teachers said: Daydreaming actually helps you concentrate better in the long run, as well as rehearse scenarios and increase your creativity. They were just mad they weren't interesting. CRACKED — *HBRH/Shutterstock*
Inc.com

3 Caffeel Yourself

BAD HABITS that are good for you DRINKING COFFEE gives you superpowers. Downing two to five cups a day is linked with lower levels of basically every disease and could even reduce your risk for depression, though it probably just makes it easier to get out of bed. GRACKED — *Ground Picture/Shutterstock*
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
National Center for Biotechnology Information

2 Breaking Up With Breakfast

BAD HABITS that are good for you SKIPPING BREAKFAST increases calorie burn. You may have heard that skipping breakfast only makes you pig out later, but some studies have shown the opposite to be true. Eat if you're hungry, but don't feel forced to choke down that smoothie. CRACKED — *SewCream/Shutterstock*
*The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition*

1 Going For the Gold

BAD HABITS that are good for you EATING BOOGERS can boost your immune system. Listen, don't do it in front of anyone, but consuming bacteria from your nose might help you fight it off and even protect your teeth, so if you gotta, you gotta. CRACKED — *Andrii Iemelianenko/Shutterstock*
CBS News

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